


Long May We Reign

by kkbluebyrd



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Mollymauk Tealeaf, Campaign 2 (Critical Role), Critical Role Spoilers, F/M, Flirty Mollymauk Tealeaf, Gen, Mighty Nein as Family, Mollymauk Lives Fest, Mollymauk Tealeaf Has ADHD, Mollymauk Tealeaf Has Feelings, Mollymauk Tealeaf Lives, Mollymauk Tealeaf has Nightmares, Mollymauk Tealeaf's Backstory, Nonbinary Mollymauk Tealeaf, Post-Campaign 1 (Critical Role), Team as Family, Wildemount (Critical Role)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 24,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28331379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kkbluebyrd/pseuds/kkbluebyrd
Summary: Rising from the ground one day in the middle of spring, Mollymauk Tealeaf was confused. Where was everyone? Why did the flowers replace the snow he had only just seen a day or so before? All he could remember was passing out due to the battle. Then he saw his grave and everything clicked.He took his coat, his favorite card, and walked off. He soon found himself with the Arawn twins. Thalia, a pretty woman who has perfected her pistol. Mina, a bard with a beautiful voice. The three of them look out for each other as they look for the rest of the Mighty Nein.TLDR (If you can't read that this fic isn't for you) Molly comes back to life and is traveling with half elf twins while looking for The Mighty Nein.
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter One | Long May He Reign

**Author's Note:**

> (If you don't care, go on ahead and skip this. It's just warnings about how I don't own anything and alterations to canon I made)
> 
> This is not canon and just a way for my heart to heal with the way recent chapters are going. Still can't believe they brought Molly back.
> 
> I don't own Critical Role in any way, shape or form. I don't even own merch :(
> 
> SECOND AND MOST IMPORTANTLY BECAUSE I KNOW YOU PEOPLE. Molly uses he/him pronouns in this story. He had mainly used those pronouns while in game though I know that he is gender fluid... fem boi Molly, lets go (he'll still be Nonbinary, don't worry)!
> 
> Also, I will be rolling dice for decisions off screen. Most outcomes will be rolled but there is some stuff that will be forced. I recreated Molly's sheet and made sheets for later characters so no one player is too powerful. Also, as they level up, I will decide what to do with Molly's sheet. If that's multiclassing or something else, I don't know but I will decide. I have never played a Blood Hunter before but this will be fun.
> 
> There might be some romance in later chapters. IDK, I write too much romance and I'm trying to avoid it but you never fucking know. This was supposed to be my break from romance. If so, Molly is Bi, Mina is Pan and Thalia is Omni.
> 
> I'm fucking with the timeline. If you don't know about the Exandrian Calendar, it's 11 months, 328 days, 7 days a week. Molly technically dies at the beginning of autumn but for the sake of this story, that's being pushed back till the first month of winter and The Mighty Nein start their pirating saga at the last month of winter :)
> 
> ALSO, this is going to be a long fic, with several monster fights as they travel in each level up and several level ups. I'm still writing but it will probably be at least 50 (congrats on finding a literal novel)

**Written 11/11/2020**

_Chapter One | Long May He Reign_

The moon shined down on a grave in the mountains. The cool weather was no different from other nights in mid spring, but this was no ordinary night. Flowers and plants that were foreign to the mountain grew wildly and unchallenged. The sun started to set and the moon started to rise for her daily cycle. The grave was a simple memorial of a beloved friend, consisting of a handmade coat, embroidered with designs sitting on a large stick. There's a warmth coming from the earth, like a blanket for the slumbering body. At that moment, everything seemed peaceful.

Then, when the moon and sun were perfectly aligned, the world seemed to shift with magic. In that brief second, there were four humanoid figures shimmering in the light. Each had a different color light in the palms of their hands. One at a time, they released their lights, each going in a different direction. A pink light went up before exploding like fireworks. Each fragment hit a different plant and flower, causing them to wilt and fall to the ground. The flower's energy was given back to the earth and, more specifically, to the being the grave was for. A green light came from one in an emerald cloak, it caused the winds to blow softly, enough to shake the embroidered coat in front of him but not fly off the stick. The wind led down a path causing the leaves to fly off the trees even though it wasn't autumn. One with a deep blue light held the light that was a soft glow instead of the bright lights of the others. The orb showed memories, stories of a happy band of seven, through one member's eyes. The last one held a dark grey, almost black ball that sparkled and shimmered. The two of them drop the balls and they faze through the ground and hit the freshly healed body of the purple tiefling.

One by one, they disappeared, the blue one standing at the grave. Picking up the card on the floor, she used her magic to cause the card to shimmer, returning it to the state it was when it was first placed at the grave. She put it inside a pocket of the jacket and said, "I wish you luck, Mollymauk."

Darkness. Crimson red eyes open softly but the lavender devil choked for a breath as he found himself underground. Clawing at the dirt above him, closing his eyes to defend them from the earth. When there was no more ground in his face, he managed to breathe again. Looking at the grass he saw the flowers and bees that symbolled the start of spring. Raising a brow, he pulled himself up. "Guys?" The call fell on deaf ears as he said, "Come on guys! This isn't funny anymore!" He looked around to see the spot he crawled out of on a hill. It stood quiet and still as his jacket sat on the stick that was left there like a memorial. "No... Nononononono", he repeated, running up to the jacket and holding it close to his chest.

Tears fell from his vermillion eyes as he searched through the pockets, finding all his cards gone except for one. The familiar card that said both "The Mirror" and "The Moon". He continued looking through the pockets and his bag, finding small baubles and trinkets from his friends. The paper from his joke with Nott. A sash from Beau. A pretty shell Fjord found. A book from Caleb. A sketch from Jester showing the whole crew. He held it close, tears heating his face as he fell to the ground crying.

The sun was finishing to set when Molly finally stopped crying. Sitting on the ground, he watched the moon rise. Fiddling with his jacket, he softly sang, "All my friends, I am heavy. Can I beat within your heart? Can I bleed within your love... All my friends." He felt the tears return, running down his face. He wasn't tired. He clearly had slept for too long. He sighed, looking out on the land and continued to sing. "And I can't forget it. All of the love, all of the love as we stood tall together." The Irish voice echoed over the mountains and trees. Over hills and rivers.

On a boat, far out on the ocean, a tall woman stood on a ship, overlooking the water, her two toned eyes glancing over the sea tiredly. She couldn't sleep. She was the only one on deck, everyone else hanging out below. Softly, she heard a familiar song in the distance, causing her to shoot up. She ran from the back to the front of the ship, looking out over the water. Tears falling down her face as she softly asked, "Molly? Are you there?" No response came except the winds, singing along to the familiar tune from the other side of Wildemount.

"Yasha?" The woman stopped dead in her tracks as Caleb said, "Are you alright?" Wiping the tears she turned to him, "Yeah. I'm alright. Thought I heard someone singing." "A harpy, perhaps", he asked. "No. It must have been the wind." Caleb gave her a soft smile before saying, "Come on. They're about to open a bottle of ale." She nodded, following him to the door. She stopped at the last step, looking out and almost hearing Molly's voice. "Long may he reign", she mumbled, shutting the door behind her.


	2. Chapter Two | Letter of Love

** Written 11/11/20 - 11/12/2020 **

_ Chapter Two | Letter of Love _

Molly didn't move till sunrise, the warmth of the sun not doing much to help his disposition. He missed the sound of their laughter. The feeling of Jester's hugs early in the morning. The groans of Caleb who obviously got barely any sleep the night before from researching spells. The sounds of Yasha's footsteps after disappearing for days on end. Everything felt out of place.

Molly felt a weight in his jacket. He shuffled around the pockets, finding something he hadn't before. It was an older piece of paper, folded into an envelope. His name was scribbled along the front in ink. Molly carefully opened it, fingers sliding delicately along the piece of paper. His eyes softly read over the page.

_Dear Mollymauk Tealeaf,_

_Hello. You may not remember me and that's alright. I am Caleb Widogast, a good friend of yours and we are members of the same adventuring party, The Mighty Nein. You are one of our dearest friends, even after your untimely demise. You may not know this but you have already come back from the grave once, long before we ever met you so we are hoping you can have another miracle._

_Apparently you didn't have any memories when you came back the first time so we are writing this letter to help you remember, just in case. Your name is Mollymauk Tealeaf, Molly to your friends. You are a bright and charismatic fellow who always brings light into a room. You always leave every town better than how you found it, with stories you never give for free. You always find the best in people, no matter who. Your sly tongue can get you out of almost every situation._

Tears fell from Molly's crimson eyes and a glimmer of his smile appeared on his face as Caleb tried to quickly describe his friends and their personalities. He couldn't help but mutter, "How could anyone forget you lot?"

_We are traveling the world right now so it might be a while till we finally see each other again. We are hoping to come back to Zadash but in our line of work we can not promise a date or even a time frame of when that will be. You can stay there and wait for us but, knowing your restless spirit, you won't stay in one place for too long. You are free to travel if you wish, no one will stop you._

_We promise you that if you come back, we will find you. We took some of your gear in memory of you, like your cards, but left some stuff behind in your bag. Rest assured, you will always have a home and a family in The Mighty Nein._

_Love, Caleb Widogast, Jester Lavorre, Fjord, Beau, Nott the Brave, and Yasha Nydorrin_

Molly wiped the tears away from his eyes, putting the letter in his pocket. Slowly, he stood up, wrapping himself in the tear soaked coat. With the two swords at his hips, he grabbed one and unsheathed it. Putting it to the ground, he used it as a walking stick. With only a singular thought to drive him, Mollymauk staggered towards the woods, following the direction the wind blew.

Not a word was spoken as he climbed. His stomach growled and his throat parched but he ignored it in favor of the cries and prayers in his heart. 'They can't be too far. They wouldn't leave you alone, even if they think you are dead', it says over and over. His mind tried to argue but, like every decision Molly made, his heart made the choice. 

Trudging, his feet were sore and his legs ached. His vision swirled around him, probably due to a lack of water. Molly didn't want to stop, he was still so far from the nearest town but his vision blackened and his legs went out from under him.

As his vision faded, he could hear someone shout and the clacking of hooves. His vision was blurred when someone turned him around and he saw a humanoid shape with pink hair and pale skin. The voice was muffled but the person turned and shouted something. Their voice was feminine and melodic. He heard a few more footsteps before he blacked out completely.


	3. Chapter Three | The Arawn Twins

** Written 11/12/2020 **

_ Chapter Three | The Arawn Twins _

The purple tiefling found himself on his back, his head pounding and his vision spun. Every movement made him nauseous as he tried to pull himself up. He felt the chopped wood under his fingers and the large piece of canvas above him made him realize he was in a caravan or cart of some sort. Some books and instruments were left around along with weaponry he knew none of his friends owned. "Oh, you're awake! Thalia! They're awake!"

Molly turned his head to see a girl smiling at him. Her long strawberry blonde hair was tied back into a braid. What bits of her hair that were out framed her face and shined almost like rose gold in the sunlight. Sapphire blue eyes stared into his ruby red ones, shining and twinkling with innocence. She stood there in a long, golden dress with unique embroidery along the end of the skirt, purple wisteria flowers. In the middle was a brown, leather corset that cinched tightly enough to show her figure but not tight enough to restrict her movements. She wore a brown cloak with yellow fabric underneath. She ran up to him and there he got a clear vision of her face. A round face, unlike his very angular facial structure. Freckles crossed her face like stars in the sky or speckles of paint on a canvas. Her eyes were large and round, shining like the sea on an early morning.

"Hi, are you alright?" Her voice was melodic and cheery, with a touch of a Northern Welsh accent. The same one he heard when he first passed out. "I'm alright", Molly stumbled out of his lips, trying to pull himself up but wincing at the pain and falling over. "Oh no. Please don't get up yet, you're incredibly injured. Thalia!"

Molly's eyes glanced at the girl climbing into the caravan and she looked near identical to the girl in front of him. 'Twins', Molly guessed. She looked a little taller than her twin, with her hair tied into a ponytail, hanging over her left shoulder. Her eyes were more angular, making her eyes look very snakelike. Her face was a bit thinner than her sibling's creating an oval shape instead of the perfect circle her sister had. Her body was a bit more in shape, the outline of muscles made it clear. They looked practically the same besides that except for their outfits. Thalia wore black leather pants with matching boots. A dark grey shirt was hidden by a long, black, leather trench coat that went to her knees. A black gem was wrapped in wire before handing on a thick string.

"What?" Thalia's voice had the same accent but it was less harmonic with a deeper pitch. Her sister gave a small glare saying, "Can you get me some water and food? I tried Cure Wounds but it didn't do anything. Nothing physically wrong so probably dehydration." The woman on the edge nodded, walking off.

The woman in front of Molly smiled, grabbing a pillow off a sleeping bag, she helped prop him up with a smile. "Hi, what's your name?" "Mollymauk Tealeaf", he stutters out. Every syllable made his throat grovel in pain but he still forced a smile on his face. "Mina. Mina Arawn", her voice sang softly. He smiled, trying to say something before she put a finger to his lips. "No way you can talk with that throat. Thalia! Hurry up", she shouts and the woman from before comes back in. Her sister takes the water and helps Molly drink it as if his life depended on it.

He sighed, when he finished the cup. His voice still ached but it seemed to be tamed by the water as he said, "Thank you." "Your welcome", she said with a smile, turning to her sister who didn't say anything. Elbowing her, the woman standing gave a stiff smile and nodded. The girl ran over grabbing a violin and setting it down next to him. "Pluck any string if you need anything. Please try not to speak or sleep. I'll get you some more water."

As she walked out, she grabbed her sister with a forced smile. Molly snickered as he heard the two of them argue immediately outside the caravan. "Why couldn't you hurry?! They're obviously injured", Mina argued. "You have no idea if they are a threat or not", Thalia hissed back. "Please! Who are they gonna hurt in that state?! They can't even get off the ground." "You don't know that, Philomena! What if they're faking it?" The girl growled, "First off, it's Mina, not Philomena. Second, you need to trust people more. Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna get them some more water and make dinner. Can you, I don't know, hunt something?" The two grunt and Molly could hear them walk off in different directions.

Mina came back a minute later with two cups of water. "Here you go", she said with a smile, sitting down next to him. Molly's smile returns, nodding and drinking the two cups and his voice slowly returns to normal. "Thank you", the Irish accent was strong as he said with a smile. "You're welcome. So, what were you doing by yourself on the side of the road with a bloodstained shirt that has been dry forever and absolutely filthy?"

Molly laughed, trying to cover up the pain when he said, "Apparently I've been dead?" The girl jumped back, grabbing a bag and taking out a dagger. "So, are you a zombie or something", she asked, pointing the dagger at him. "I don't think so? I wasn't bitten or anything", he laughed. She laughed softly, putting the dagger back in the bag and setting it in her lap. Scooching closer she said, "Sorry! I haven't ran into any undead yet so I didn't know." Molly laughed, saying, "You're alright."

She smiled softly, "So, how did you die?" "Wow, blunt, aren't you?" Her eyes widened as she said, "I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking and it shot off the tongue! That was so rude." Molly laughed, saying, "No, it's better to be blunt with me. I'm often speaking bullshit." She laughed, saying, "That's not true! You're just articulate and loquacious. You seem like you have a thousand stories to tell." "My mother always said to never give a story for free", Molly said, sitting up a bit, leaning against the side of the cart. The girl joined him, pulling out a notebook and said, "Your mother sounds like a wonderful being but I have to disagree. Stories are meant to be told, to be shared so that people can add their own interpretations. That's how legends start after all."

Molly stared at the girl with innocence, admiring her youthful energy. "You're a strange one", he said, "I like you. Us weirdos have to stick together." She nodded, "Have any weirdos you're trying to return to?" Molly smiled sadly, thinking about his merry crew of idiots. "Yeah. My adventuring party, The Mighty Nein." She nodded, "Why don't you tell me about them? Would that make you feel better?" Molly nodded, "I still don't tell my stories for free." "I'm taking care of your injured butt. You can tell me a few stories", Mina smiled. He gave an over exaggerated sigh. "Fine", he whined and started telling her about the group he called a family and the adventures they went on.

An hour or so later, when Molly was telling the tale of the first time they ran into the thieves, someone said, "Mina, lunch." Looking up, there was Thalia, holding two smaller salmon. "Oh, thanks, Thals. I'll go look for some kind of wild veggie to make with it. Go take a nap, I know you need sleep after watch last night." She took the dead and cleaned fish, kissing her sister on the cheek and walking off.

Molly looked at the angry woman in front of him with a smile. All she gave was a nod, sitting on the other sack, the one Mina took the pillow from. Molly reached behind him, grabbing it and handing it to her. "I think this is yours", the male voice said with a smile. "Thank you", she said, taking out a book from inside the sleeping bag and reading it.

The silence and not being able to move annoyed Molly as his tail swished in boredom. He would normally do a reading but with the missing cards, there was no way that was possible. "What are you reading", he asked, trying to make friends with the woman. "A book", she said, as if he were stupid. "No? Really? Couldn't have told you that", Molly shouted sarcastically. "What's it about?" She sighed, "Deities and the origin of magic." He smiled, "Oh, so you're a magic user? What kind?" "I'm not a magic user." Molly rolled his eyes, giving up on the woman and turning to his side. Soon after, he heard her close the book and shuffle a bit.

Looking over, he saw her start to fall asleep. Molly smiled at her before pulling his legs up and stumbling out of the cart. Outside, he saw two Clydesdale horses by the water, lying down and eating some hay. Mina was standing, food cooking over the fire as she took some string and tied it from tree to tree. Molly watched as she hung up something very familiar to him. "Is that my disguise kit", he asked. She jumped, looking at him. "What are you doing up? You are in no business to be walking around!" He laughed, putting his hands in the air. "I'm a fast healer." She sighed, walking over and fixing the clothes. "Yeah, I found it in your bag. I supposed you wouldn't want me to undress you so I washed these so you had something to change into."

"Thank you again but where are you two going", he asked. "Zadash for a few days then who knows. We have no set destination, just going around." Molly nodded, understanding what she implied. "So, do you wanna come with us?" Molly looked at her confused, "Excuse me?" "Do you, Mollymauk, want to come with us while you look for your friends?" Molly's eyes widened. He couldn't help but think of the letter Caleb wrote, how it said he was free to travel and they would eventually find him. But what if he found them first? He smiled, "I would absolutely love to but what will your sister say?" "Just play injured till the day before we get there and while we hang out she'll get used to you." Molly laughed saying, "I don't think I'll have to play any role. I am barely able to balance." She playfully raised a brow, "Then why are you up?" "Because I don't think your sister likes me." 

"Oh, she doesn't like anyone. Nothing personal, she is just slow to trust." Molly gave a small smile, "You mentioned you used a spell earlier. What kind of spell caster are you?" "Oh, I guess I would technically be a bard? None of my spells are offensive", she said meekly, almost as if she were embarrassed. "That's perfectly fine. Just makes you more tactical." This caused her smile to return again, "So, are you a spellcaster?" "Not in the slightest", he said with a lovable smirk. "I just have some swords and the tiniest bit of blood magic but not enough to call me a spellcaster." Her eyes shot open even more, causing them to shine brighter. "That sounds absolutely brilliant!"

They heard the sound of Thaila crawling out of the caravan and took it as a que to be quiet. The fish was done, thy night was young and the conversation was fascinating, mostly carried by a certain devil's tongue. At the end of the night, Thalia took watch, causing Molly and Mina to go inside the caravan. Mina began reading over a novel on magic, casting the incantation over and over, never quite getting the spell to work. Molly smiled, the sound reminding him of Caleb and he slowly fell asleep.


	4. Chapter Four | Practitioners of the Moonweaver

**Written 11/14/2020**

_Chapter Four | Practitioners of the Moonweaver_

Mollymauk woke up the next morning to see Thalia waking her sister up. "Mina, what's for breakfast", she said playfully, shaking her sister. "Nothin. You're starving", she grumbled, hogging the blanket. A small smile hit his face as he saw a side of Thalia he hadn't seen yet. He saw her take the pillow from under her sister's head and hit her with it. "Get. the. fuck. up." Mina sighed, sitting up but getting hit a final time in the center of the face. Molly broke out into an adorable cackle. Both girls glared at him, though for different reasons. "Nope. You two are mean to me. I'm going back to sleep." Thalia pulled Mina out of the sleeping bag and threw the pillow at the wall. "Grow up and get your ass out of bed." The woman on the floor slowly got up, showing the nightgown she insisted on wearing to sleep. "Fine. We should have some bread. I'll make toast or something."

With her walking out, Molly smiled at the grumpy woman beside him. "Pass my one of my swords, dear", he asked. She nodded, grabbing one of the sheathed blades and handing it to him. Nodding as a thank you, he painfully pulled himself up and stumbled out. Finding her set up the start of a fire, he sat on the ground next to her. "You alright?" She nodded, "Yeah, I just like the night." "Why don't you ask grumpy gills for the night shift?" She laughed, softly, "I have but she wants me to have a normal sleep schedule." She said the last three words doing quotations with her fingers.

"Not my fault I want my baby sister to have a normal sleep schedule." The two turned their heads to see her leaning against it, trying to ignore Molly and jab at her sister. "First off, I'm your twin so I'm not your baby sister. Just because you're born 28 minutes before me doesn't make you meaningfully older. Second, why do you care?!" The two continued to bicker as Mina took the toast, pulling off the pan and onto a plate. She immediately handed Molly three pieces with a smile as she argued with her sister.

The group ate in silence, enjoying the food and cleaning the dishes before Thalia yawned. Molly leaned on the sword as he put stuff inside the caravan while Thalia and Mina put the horses back on the cart. Thalia nodded when she went off to sleep, saluting the two as she climbed into the caravan. Molly and Mina sat in the front, Molly holding the reigns as Mina fiddled with her bags. Pulling out a pencil, a few pieces of paper and a box, she opened it, pulling out a card and began sketching.

Molly's eyes flicker from the road to the drawing. Elegantly drawn hands, one facing down with the other facing up. In the palm of the one facing down, she drew a small ball of magic, floating in the hand. In the palm of the other hand, she drew a roaring blaze of fire and Molly immediately recognized it. "Are... Are you drawing Moonweaver Oracle Cards?"

Mina pulls it to her chest, her eyes staring at him with a bit of fear. "Yes! Please don't tell anyone", she begged, honestly terrified. "Nono, I would never tell anyone, Mina. Look", he says, pulling her close. Taking out the moon card from his pocket, he hands it to her. Her eyes open with amazement, looking at him as if he were kidding. He gave a nod, putting the card in her hands, causing her to admire it. It was Molly's finest piece of art, with a moon over a lake that reflected the moon with a smaller red moon on the side, showing the cards 'The Moon' and 'The Mirror'. "Wow, it's so pretty! Do you have any more?" Molly sighed sadly but covered it up with a smile, "No, I'd believe my friends took them in memory of me." "It was sweet of them to do that", she said with a smile.

Giving him a smile, she jumps in the back looking for something. Clattering could be heard and he was honestly surprised Thalia didn't wake up from the chaotic noise. Climbing back up, Mina held a bag in her hands. "I know it's not the same thing but hopefully it will work." She took the reins and gave him the bag. Slowly opening it, there was a box. "It's a store bought set I bought in case I lost my others. I haven't opened it so it's good in terms of the magic of the cards." "Thank you", Molly said, treasuring the cards and holding them close.

"So, does Thalia also follow the Moonweaver?" Mina shook her head, "No. She thinks of them as stories of once great mages, which I can't blame her for believing in. She respects my wishes when I told her I wanted to start practicing but she just thinks they're stories of powerful mages." Mollymauk gave a nod, "I can see where her idea comes from."

Molly looked at her cards, admiring the artwork. It was all pencil sketches, nothing was set in stone but it felt like something was missing. "Where's the color", Molly asked, "There needs to be a rainbow of colors!" Mina gave a soft chuckle, fidgeting with her hands. "I keep meaning to buy a set of paints because I really like watercolors but I forget about it at literally every town we go to." "Oh, I guess I'll have to remind you then."

The next few hours went by normally, the two talking about their practices and themselves until Molly stretched. "You mind if I take a mid afternoon nap, dear", Molly asked with a smile. "Of course", she said as sweet as sugarcane. "Do you want me to stop the carts so you can get on easier?" Molly shook his head. Over the day or so he was with the twins his legs and arms slowly felt better but he was still stumbling a bit. "I got it. No need for you to stop for me, dear." He crawled into the back, laying on the sleeping bag Mina lent him. Molly fell asleep quickly, a smile on his face as he heard Mina's humming and the rocking of the caravan.


	5. Chapter Five | The King's Cards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/-d4fDO6Q04k
> 
> Songs are not written by me but it's for fun. Please imagine a violin playing the background music. Also, Ocarina's can be flutes. If my players ever wanna play an ocarina I will just tell them to play a flute. Also, any card that is not mention in Critical Role is of my own design. Also, several don't have meanings yet. I will take real world info and my knowledge of IRL Tarot cards to do readings for the rest of the book. Thank you!

**Written 11/15/2020**

_Chapter Five | The King's Cards_

Molly and Thalia awoke around the same time when Mina stopped the cart. It was a bit sudden but they could tell they weren't in any danger. Sitting up, they saw Mina walk toward the back of the caravan where they left some spare twigs for firewood. "Good afternoon, you two", she says, grabbing an arm load of sticks and walking off. Thalia jumped out first, Mollymauk following closely behind. Thalia walked off, like Molly had noticed the previous night, always being the one to find food. Molly sat next to Mina, helping her start the fire. The two had plenty of friendly banter but Molly thought about what he could do to warm up to Thalia.

When she came back, she didn't hold any meat in her hands but instead a bunch of plants. "The most I could find were some squirrels and I refuse to kill something that doesn't give enough meat for eating but I did find some wild asparagus so I guess we're eating healthy tonight." The two laughed as Mina took the veggies and started to cook.

The food was a bit bland, with very little seasoning but the conversation spiced up the meal. "So, I went to this town and managed to trick all of them into thinking I was royalty", Molly said with a smile as he told the story. The fire illuminated his features which made his story seem all the more entertaining. "They threw me a festival, where we all celebrated. I was given jewels, free food and ale. It was a fabulous party." Mina's eyes shined before shooting up. "Thalia, it's like that song dad and I wrote when we were kids!" Molly raised a brow and Thalia laughed. "What was it called? Soldier something?" "Soldier, Poet, King!" She laughed, running inside the caravan and pulling out a rounded, clay flute that was glazed yellow with purple flowers.

She sat down, holding the viol, she slowly started to play. "There will come a soldier, who carries a mighty sword! She will tear your city down, Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord. She will tear your city down, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord!" Thalia got up and spun her sister around with a smile. "Their will come a poet whose weapon is her word! She will slay you with her tongue, Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord! She will slay you with her tongue, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord." Mina walked over to Molly and pulled him up. Making sure to not hurt him, the two spun around as she sang, "There will come a ruler, whose brow is laid in thorn. Smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord. Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh Lord, smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei-oh lai-oh Lord."

The two laughed as the song ended, sitting on the ground. "Okay, it's getting late. You two should go back in the caravan." Molly looked at the woman in annoyance. "Thalia, we're grown adults. We can do what we want." "Mina, if given the choice you would only eat chocolate every day for the rest of your life and you refuse to swear. I can't say for Mollymauk but you are a fucking child." Molly snickered causing Mina to punch him in the shoulder. "Besides, if we keep going tonight we can make it to Zadash by tomorrow afternoon." Molly nodded, standing up and putting a hand out to Mina. Reluctantly, she took his hand and they went into the caravan.

Molly pulled out the cards Mina gave him earlier that day. He admired the printed art. It wasn't really something Molly would use, the cards order was different from his normal deck. For example, the Moon card was paired with the Sun card unlike his normal deck where it was paired with the Mirror card. Molly put his favorite card in one of the inside pockets of his jacket, right above his heart. Doing several shuffling techniques, mumbling, "What do you have in store for me." Putting five cards in front of him, he pulled several good cards but three cards surprised him. The Author, The Grave, and The Anvil.

"What do they say", she asked, scooching closer to read them. "Well... There should be a good outcome where I return to The Mighty Nein", he said, picking the card labeled "Home". "That's fantastic!" Molly picked up three of the cards. "But there is The Grave card along with The Author and The Anvil. It will take a while and I will have to work for it", he said, showing The Author and Anvil. "I don't know about The Grave." She picked up the card, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Meaning is different but is it supposed to be a reference to the fact you crawled out of your own grave? It has a double meaning. Both death and the start of new beginnings." Molly nodded but the card still eluded him. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. Night, Molly." "Night, dear."


	6. Chapter Six | Night Watch Under The Moon

** Written 11/16/2020-11/17/2020 **

_Chapter Six | Night Watch Under The Moon_

Molly was still staring at the cards, contemplating them when Mina fell asleep. He sighed, putting them back in the box and setting it to the side. Walking out, he saw Thalia put the horses back on the cart. As she climbed to the front, Molly said, "Mind if I joined ya'?" She sighed and Molly took it as a yes. Sitting next to her, Molly watched as she brought the horses to a trot. The only sound that could be heard was the clacking of hooves.

"I don't trust you." Molly turned his head to the woman, his lavender tail flicking in interest. "No, totally couldn't tell. But pray tell, what makes that so?" "You use flowery, dramatic words. You have given us no way to trust you outside of a bit of manual labor. That's hardly anything noteworthy", she said without any tact. "My sister is too trusting. Always looking for the good in everyone, even me. It's dangerous in this world." Molly smirked, "Hidden backstory? Oh, do tell", he pried, while leaning against her with a confident smirk and swishing tail. "No fucking way." Molly's smile only seemed to grow, "How about I tell mine and we'll decide who goes first via a coin toss? Loser goes first! I would normally do cards but I left them in the back." "Fine", she growled. Molly took a silver coin out of his pocket. "Heads or tails?" "Heads." 

The coin flipped in the air and Molly said, "Heads! I guess I'm first." Molly tapped a finger to his chin, a sly smirk on his face. "I have no memory of anything before... almost three years ago. I was found by a circus and joined it. I did that for about two years till there was this incident with a Demon Toad and I joined my adventuring party. We traveled, winning the Zadash's Victory Pit and did several other things... That's about it." Thalia looked at Molly, an eyebrow raised as if she didn't believe him but she didn't say anything. Molly shrugged, "Your turn!" 

"Well, Mina and I grew up on the far outskirts of a town between Zadash and Felderwin with our parents. We kind of had each parent to ourselves. Mina had our dad who was a traveling bard and performer before he met our mom. My mom was an elf that was orphaned in Felderwin, and raised by halflings. My grandparents were hunters, butchers for people in town. Well, we had a happy life. I started rebelling in my late teens, and joined a small band of thieves. It was like that for a few years. I considered them friends because I wanted to rebel. One day, we were robbing some store. My sister came in to stop us. She recognized me and told me to leave. She saved the day and I got off free of charge. The idiots I called friends didn't like that and the next time Mina and I went away from the house, they burned it down and we lost our parents. Mina and I took whatever we had and left."

Thalia looked down, embarrassed about everything she'd done. Molly's eyes widened but he smiled, putting an arm around her. She immediately froze before turning her head and staring at him. A soft smile appeared on her face and she nodded to him. "You should probably go to sleep", she said, slowing the cart down to a halt. "Are you sure?" She nodded again and Molly stepped off. As he walked away she called out, "Hey, Molly?" His eyes shot open, turning around to face her. "Thank you. I'm glad Mina has found a new friend." "No problem. She's a charm", he said, his accent seemed a bit bolder. He walked into the back of the caravan and they took off once again. 


	7. Chapter Seven | Welcome To Zadash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our trio arrives in Zadash and they set down some ground rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for warning, this book updates Tuesdays and Fridays (ignore the fact I'm publishing this on a Monday night)

**Written 11/17/2020**

_ Chapter Seven | Welcome to Zadash _

Mina and Molly woke up early the next morning to the smell of something burning. Jumping out of their sleeping bags, they ran out to see Thalia burning a few pieces of bread. "Shit!" The two laugh, sitting next to her. "How did you two sleep", Thalia asked. "It was great", Mina said, stretching. "Oh, what about you, Molly?" Mina nearly fell off the cart in shock, staring at her sister then at the purple tiefling who said, "Oh, it was absolutely fantastic."

Mina jumped off the cart, standing between the two in confusion. "What happened?! Where's your grumbles and not trusting anyone", she shouted, looking at her sister. "Oh, Molly and I talked for a while last night." Mina's eyes shined and she shouts, "Does that mean he can stay?!" "He's not a fucking pet, Mina. Ask him yourself." He smiled, wrapping his arm around the closer twin saying, "She actually did and we were waiting for the right time to ask." Thalia shook her head. "I'm gonna regret this but sure." The two laughed excitedly as they sat down, throwing out the burned bread and using the last they had to make some more.

"Since we're now working as a team, I can take a shift for watch", Molly said with a bright smile. "That actually sounds perfect. We barely got any free time, so eight hours each?" Mina nodded at her sister's statement. "I call the last eight hours'', smiling and raising her hand. "I'll handle the first eight and Molly, you can take the day shift?" He nodded, agreeing with the statement. The crew climbed into the caravan, Molly in Mina in the front as Thalia took a nap on the way back.

Within the coming hours, they start to see a city. "Thalia! Thalia, wake up! We're almost there", Mina shouted, causing her twin to jump up in the back, grabbing one of the daggers she kept on her person. The two in the front laughed and cackled at the serious woman's antics.

When they finally arrived, Mina smiles, "What are we doing first", as she almost jumps into the street. "Hold your horses there, dear. We got some stuff to do before we go exploring", Molly said with a smile. "Hey, I think I see a tavern. "The Leaky Tap"?" Molly smiled, leading the horses to the back where several horses and other carriages sat. "Come on", Molly smiled, leading the horses away and into a stall. When he returned, he saw the girls pulling all the items out and putting them in spare bags. "Ready to go in", he asked with a smile. They nodded and walked into the building.

Several people shifted eyes to them when they walked in. It wasn't surprising with a layer of dirt that covered the tiefling and a bouncing half elf. Thalia was the only one who seemed normal but she smiled at the two. Molly trotted over to the familiar white dragon born. "Wessek! Been a while, my friend." The bartender's eyes shifted over to the lavender skinned fellow, causing them to widen. "Oh look who's here! Where's the rest of your little posse?" Molly's smile shrunk. "Sadly, we got... separated. But, I do have some other friends here and we were wondering if we could book some rooms?" He nodded, "How many and for how long?" Molly turned his head to the girls who shrugged. "Mina and I typically share a bed so if you want to share a double, we can do that. We may be here for three, maybe four nights." Molly rolled his eyes. "One double and one single, please." Molly paid with a smile. "Come on! I need a bathe", he said, not letting the girls react.

Molly didn't know how much he needed it till he sat in the hot water, the dirt and negative energy immediately came off. scrubbing his face and washing hair, Molly smiled. Drying off and wearing his tapestry, he looked into the mirror. All the grime was off and his tattoos seemed more vibrant against his periwinkle skin. His smile was white and shiny. All the oil in his hair was gone, making it extremely curly and fluffy. 

He walked into the girls room with a smile. "Wow! Molly! Look at you!" He smirked, flicking his tail and flaunting his body. "I know. I'm absolutely gorgeous!" Thalia covered her eyes when she saw what he was wearing, also covering her sister's. "Molly, pants? Maybe a shirt?" He sighed, saying, "You're no fun." He walked out, coming back in a spare pair of pants and his jacket. She sighed, uncovering her sister's eyes and sitting on her bed. Mina smiled, patting the spot next to her, asking, "May I please play with your hair?" "Well of course!" Molly sat on the floor, letting her hands run through his thick, curly locks.

"I actually got a few things to cover while we're here." Mina hummed and Thalia nodded, leaning back. "First, stay clear of The Evening Nip. There's some people I would rather not know I'm here. They know too much about me, most of it I don't know about myself. They are working for a crime boss here and their main meetup is there. Second, keep an eye out for people watching you. Third, while in public, I go by Esma." "Okay", Mina agreed with a smile, "How about we kind of chill out for the night? Order some stuff from the tavern and go out tomorrow?" Molly looked up at her and Thalia said, "Are you sure? I know you said you wanted to go explore." The girl hummed, still messing with Molly's hair and smiling at his face. "Yeah, I don't mind. I think a chill day would be nice and we could go exploring tomorrow." They group smiled, and Molly said, "Mina and I are preoccupied. Thalia's on food duty." The older twin sighed, getting up and shutting the door behind her.

Mina softly giggled, filling the silent room. "What's so funny?" Molly raised a brow. "I can't say. You'll get mad." Molly rose a bit, a smirk on his face, "Now I got to know." She smiled, booping his nose and said, "I'm never telling!" Molly shot up, a devilish smirk on his face as he started tickling her sides. "TELL!" "NEVER!" She cackled, kicking her legs till she shouted, "FINE! YOU LOOK LIKE A PURPLE SHEEP!" Molly stopped, a bit stunned. "A purple sheep", he asked with an amused smirk. "Where did that come from?" "Well, your hair is so thick along with being curly and soft. With the horns, it reminded me of the rams back home", she replied timidly, her fingers taping in a repeating pattern like she was playing a scale. "Why would I get mad at that?" She shrugged and Molly sat beside her. "I've been called several other things but I don't think I've ever been called a sheep. A peacock multiple times. A snake here and there but never a sheep. I can see it." She chuckled, "You don't mind?" "Not at all."

The door opened and Thalia came in with a large snack platter, some cups and a few bottles of ale. "Food is here", she said with a smile, shutting the door. The group ate and laughed till it got late, causing Molly to go to his room and fall asleep.


	8. Chapter Eight | Songs and Swords

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2021! Jumanji! Huzzah, this year is over! FUCKIN' FINALLY! 
> 
> https://youtu.be/CmwcGatwzJk

** Written 11/18/2020 **

_ Chapter Eight | Songs and Swords _

Molly walked into the girls room the next morning, seeing Mina still sleeping and Thalia putting her boots on. Her hair was half dried, she probably took a shower before he came in. She nodded to him, a small smile on her face. "Mornin'", he said, giving a small salute. "Hey." Molly walked over to Mina, looking down at her sleeping face. "Wake up." Nothing. "No use. That girl can sleep forever", Thalia said. "Besides, she was up late working on her cards." Molly nodded before putting to the top of her head, giving her forehead a hard flick.

She immediately shot up, surprised by the minimal force to her head. When she saw Molly, her face turned into one of annoyance. "OW!" The lavender tiefling broke into laughter, her twin following closely behind. "Y'all are so mean." They ignored her, eventually getting her to join them in their laughter.

"Come on, let's get some breakfast", Thalia said, first to calm down from the laughter. The other two nodded, following her down stairs. The tavern was bustling with life, several people starting with a mug of beer before their early shift. The three sat down at a table and Wessek came up, "What can I get for you three?" "A coffee, toast and bacon please", Thalia said, giving a small, awkward nod. He nodded, turning his attention to the one in the golden dress. "Oh, um...", she started, unsure, "A cup of tea, any kind will work, and a cookie?" He finally turned his attention to Molly who just shrugged, "Surprise me."

Wessek walked away, causing the three to focus on themselves. "Today's agenda?" "Go explore then make some cash", Mina said with a smile. "Oh, are you planning on stealing, dear", Molly said, his grin growing. "Not today. You'll see", she said. "Sound's good to me", the lavender skinned fellow said, causing Thalia to nod. About then, Wessek came back with the food and drinks, dropping some bacon and eggs in front of Molly. "Thank you, my friend." The three quickly ate, Thalia paying for the food before the three went upstairs to grab some stuff and go.

They walked around the bustling city, enjoying the atmosphere. They eventually got to the Pentamarket where several different shops and stalls stood. Mina smiled, finding a spot with a lot of room, grabbing Molly and Thalia, leading them over. Thalia sat down her back leaning against the wall while Mina searched through her bag, pulling out a cap. She put it on her head, continuing to grab stuff and pulling it out. She handed Molly her flute she had played a few days before and her viol. Taking the bow out and checking on it's condition, she walks closer, facing the street.

Quickly, the sound of the viol filled the section of town they stood in. People's heads turned to the song that softly played. She smiled, dancing around with the music. Smiles formed as she danced, quickly taking her hat off and setting it on the ground. People started putting coins into it and kids came up to the front to see her. Molly's smile grew. This reminded him of the circus and how much he enjoyed making kids smile. When her song ended, several people clapped. She nodded, thanking them for the coins.

"Hey, have anything you can do", she asked, turning to Molly. His smile widened as he walked up. "Everyone, stand back a bit", he said, pulling out the scimitars at his hips. Mina started playing as Molly started juggling them, becoming routine like back in the circus.

Everyone started to put more and more coins into the hat and when the hat was filled, the two picked it up, putting inside the bag. Thalia stood up, wobbling a bit. "You all know how to attract a crowd." "Well, I'd hope so", Molly shouted. The two girls laughed, leading themselves back to the tavern.


	9. Chapter Nine | The Beast of Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, if interested, I made playlists for the trio! Look it up with "___, Long May We Reign". Characters names are Mollymauk (obviously), Mina Arawn, and Thalia Arawn. I also have playlists for future characters I will tell you the names of when they are out! 
> 
> Also, name change for the book from 'Long May He Reign' to 'Long May We Reign'.

** Written 11/19/2020 **

_ Chapter Nine | Beast of Fire _

The trio had fun their last few days in Zadash. Several days of relaxing and exploring. It was their last night when they were walking through the crowded streets. Lights filled the streets as everyone enjoyed themselves. "I'm stuffed", Mina said, patting her stomach. "You and me both", Molly said quickly, leaning back with his hands behind his head. His eyes opened and he saw something large fly overhead.

Suddenly, people start screaming, running from the direction they were headed. The trio look at each other in confusion, running ahead to see what it was. They ran for a bit, fighting against the crowd before seeing the chaos being caused. Several Crownsguard were around the center of some beast. Fire burned down the buildings and it formed around the creature. A loud roar was heard and the shadow of the beast could be seen as it swiped across a guard's chest. The shadow had three heads, each looking like they belonged to a different animal, and gigantic wings. "A chimera", someone shouted.

Thalia was the first to act, pulling the pistol off of her thigh and ran up, shooting it in the leg. "I guess we're doing this'', Molly said, causing Mina to nod. The monster attacked next, jumping towards Thalia but falling over, rolling back onto its feet. Molly ran in, but the chimera swiped at him before Molly could attack. Mina came in behind Molly, managing to stab the creature. It's eyes glared and, before it could do anything, something wrapped around one of it's necks. Thalia's foot was to it's back as she shouted, "Stay the fuck away from my sister!" She pulled on the whip tightly, causing the beast to flip to its side. It leaned one of it's heads back, hitting Thalia in the leg with its horns. She let out a cry as it poked through her armor, causing the whip to loosen and get off it's neck.

Everyone jumped back and a guard shot it with a musket, straight through the shoulder causing it to growl and run towards the guard. Molly managed to cut across it's back with his two scimitars before getting out of the way. "Hey! You overgrown house cat", Mina shouted and the beast turned to her, before feeling a sudden bout of pain. In that time, she pulled out a dagger, running up and stabbing it in the other shoulder. With a brief enchantment under her breath, she let go, running back towards Molly. The monster let out a monstrous scream. It started to flap its wings, the one on the right side knocking the blade out as it took off, heading towards the mountains.

Mina immediately ran up to her sister, casting Cure Wounds on Thalia's leg. The girl getting healed pulled her sister into a hug, a smile on her face. At that moment, one of the Crownsguard knights ran up to them. "Thank you for the help", he said in a gruff voice. "No problem, sir", Mina said tiredly. "I'd hate to ask this of you three but we are on very short supply of guards. I was wondering if you three could go slay it?" Thalia raised a brow and Molly said, "Sorry, you want us to risk our lives for... what exactly?" "We can pay you quite a hefty amount of gold", he said. The three looked at each other before Thalia answered, "Alright, deal. We'll leave tomorrow morning." She stuck out her hand and the two gave a tight handshake.

The three got a good night's sleep, healing the rest of the wound to Thalia's leg and Mina restored her energy for spells. The three left at the break of dawn, the sun rising over the horizon. The trio rode on the cart, Thalia in the front with Molly and Mina in the back. Mina read the book, over and over to try the spells she had been working on to no avail. They followed the trail of burns and large amounts of dried blood with no origin until they finally stumbled across a cave.

They left the horses outside, grabbing equipment and looking at the cave where the blood splatters went. Molly sighed, taking off his coat so it wouldn't get damaged in the fight. They stealthily walked in, backs against the cold, grey stone. They saw slash marks against the rock, Mina traced her fingers on it in awe. They soon find the beast, sleeping harshly on the ground. It had several cuts and bruises and a lot of the deep cuts they had made the night before had only just started to heal.

Thalia grabbed her pistol, taking the first shot, aiming for the lion head. She missed however, she hit the ram's horn, causing it to wake up. "Shit!" Molly went up next, clipping the creature's wings so that it couldn't try and fly away again. The creature turned around, the goat head biting Molly in the arm, causing him to let out a scream. "Molly", Mina cried out, running up to help him but being flung back by the dragon tail. Thalia took another shot, hitting the goat straight in the neck. You could hear a loud crack and the goat head let go of Molly but the beast's target was still the colorful tiefling.

Molly went to attack but the beast headbutted him, causing Molly to hit the stone wall with nowhere to hide. The monster roared, covering Molly from the rest of the group as it breathed it's cone of fire on him. "MOLLY! NO'', Mina screamed, tears falling from her eyes like waterfalls. A giant ball of fire, appearing in her hand, giving the room more light. She stared at it in surprise before throwing at the terrible creature. It took the ball from the side, causing it to hit the wall with a loud bang and an audible crunch of the ribs.

Molly sat there, breathing but with burns. It was better than what Mina thought was going to happen. His shirt was singed off and his pants had bits of fire on them too. She tightly hugged his neck, tears falling down her face. "You scared me! So bad", she cried. Molly felt his body heal and wounds close as she hugged him tight, causing him to return the favor. "I'm sorry", he said with a small laugh, "Tieflings have a resistance to fire though." She punched his shoulder, saying, "I didn't know that!" He pet her head as Thalia took the final blow, cutting off the lion head. Blood spilled all over the floor and it didn't stop when Thalia cut off a chunk of the dragon tail. Thalia walked over and bluntly said, "It's dead." "No, really? Totally couldn't tell after you cut off it's damn head", Molly replied sarcastically as Mina pulled him up. "Nice burn, about as roasted as your shirt."

Looking down at his burned clothing, he saw his white shirt was black and brown, falling apart and breaking at his movements. His pants were burned and looked more like capris, burned at the hem. His scars and tattoos were clearly visible but Molly tried to ignore that. "That your only pair", Mina asked, also looking at his clothes before thinking, "Where's your jacket?!" Molly couldn't help but laugh at his situation, "My coat is in the caravan and of course this is my only pair! Did you forget?!" She nodded but said, "That's okay, we can just go clothes shopping tomorrow with the gold we made. I think we could all use some new ones." The crew smiled, laughing as they walked off. When they got to the cart, Mina immediately fell asleep, using a new and extremely powerful spell that wore her out. Molly slipped his coat on, a sense of warmth guarded him from the cold of the mountains. He sat in the back as Thalia led the way, the rocking of the cart slowly lulling him to sleep. 

**IF MOLLY DIDN'T HAVE A FIRE** **RESTISTANCE** **, HE WOULD'VE DIED. I literally started to cry in my Chem class while writing this because I forgot and I was trying to** **retcon** **him to live. He is so lucky. He needs some armor tho.**


	10. Author's Note | Level Six

_Author's Note, Level Six_

** Basically, I thought I could show you how I'm updating them in name order, starting with Molly! Keep in mind when updating his sheet, it's my imagination based off of  ** ** what ** ** the story needs. He's gonna remain a Blood Hunter but I don't know what Taliesin would've done if he could've kept playing as Molly.  **

**Also, I think Matt has them level up by milestone instead of experience. For this, their level up milestones will be closer together** **(so they can quickly catch up to the Mighty Nein)**

_Molly has been traveling with the twins for about a week now and is slowly growing closer to them. While Thalia is still not very social and her sister is still overly welcoming, with their help, Molly will find The Mighty Nein in no time._

_Mollymauk Tealeaf  
Tiefling, LV 6 Blood Hunter, Order of the Ghost_

Molly is still learning his place in the newly found trio but he fully knows he's valued. His clever smirk sits confidently on his face and it's hard to tell what is a truth and what is a lie.

_Philomena 'Mina' Arawn  
Half-Elf, LV 6 Bard, College of Lore_

Mina is truly the glue holding her friend group together. With a personality that's as sweet as sugarcane, she will do whatever she can to help others.

_Thalia Arawn  
Half-Elf, LV 5 Fighter, Gunslinger and LV 1 Rouge_

A serious woman with a knack for firearms, she is one protective 'older' sister. Still a bit apprehensive of Molly but she is glad he joined the duo for more adventures. 


	11. Chapter Ten | New Attire

** Written 11/21/2020-11/23/2020 **

_ Chapter Ten | New Attire _

Molly woke up the next morning on a soft bed, blankets tucked tight around him. He slowly stood up, turning his head to see Mina and Thalia, sleeping like babies as Thalia kept Mina in a tight hug. A small, innocent smile crept onto his face. Deciding not to wake the two, Molly crept into his bag, pulling out his only pair of pants he had left from his disguise. Setting them down, he grabbed a towel and went to take a shower. The halls were the same as the tavern they stayed at the last time, so Molly found himself there fairly quickly.

The warm water sent a weird sensation in his arm where there was still a bit of the bite wound left. It caused him to grind his teeth and flinch but he quickly got used to it. His body rinsed the sweat, dirt, and blood off his body and replaced it with the smell of oranges and lemons. Molly dried himself off, throwing a tapestry over his body before walking into his shared room.

Mina was awake, rubbing her eyes as she tried not to wake her sister. "Mornin', dear", Molly said. "Good morning, Molly", she yawned. "How's the bear hug", he asked, taking the tapestry off, ignoring the woman's feelings on his actions. Mina closed her eyes as tight as she could saying, "It's tight." "Yeah, I figured", he laughed, grabbing the pants, turning to face her. "Aw, didn't like what you saw", he toyed, using his spade shaped tail to boop her nose. "No, I'm just trying to be polite!" Molly slipped his pants on and said, "You can open your eyes now."

She did as she was told and smiled seeing him. "Do you have a shirt I could borrow", he asked. She nodded, pointing to the bag, "Take what you want." Molly nodded, looking through the bag and finding a simple white shirt. It looked sort of like his original outfit but the shirt didn't display his tattoos and the black dress pants weren't his original pair with the stripes he loved so much. Molly felt absolutely bored in this outfit. "Chin up, buttercup! We're gonna find you some perfect clothes!"

The shouting woke up the other twin who growled in annoyance. "Sleep", she whined in a husky voice. "Nope", Molly said, grabbing Mina and trying to pull her away from her sister but her sister fought back. "No, let my sister rest. Fuck you, Mollymauk." "Your sister has been up for a while now and go fuck yourself, Thalia", Molly said, causing Mina to laugh. "Come on, Thalia. We got to get the gold from killing the Chimera." Thalia listened to her sister, letting go and slowly crawling out of bed. "I'm gonna take a bath", Thalia muttered, grabbing a pair of pants and a shirt. "That sounds pretty good, actually", Mina said, wriggling her way out of Molly's arms and to her bag. She grabbed her yellow dress with some other things before walking off with Thalia.

Molly sat on the bed, his tail twitching in boredom. He sighed, taking out his new set of cards and decided to do a reading. Once again, he pulled the same three cards that perplexed him. "What do you mean", Molly asked the pieces of paper, glaring at them. When he heard the door open, he put them in the bag. "Hey, ready to go", Mina asked and Molly nodded, walking with them out the door.

The crew walked to the center of town and found themselves inside of King's Hall, the center of operations for the local Crowns Guard. The trio walked right up, seeing someone at the front desk. "Hello", Molly started with a smile, catching the poor lady off-guard. "We were sent on a mission to kill the Chimera?" She nodded and said, "Oh, I was told you probably wouldn't survive. Alright, I need some proof." Thalia walked up, taking a small, woven sack out of her satchel and set it down loudly in front of the woman. The woman opened it, flinching at what she saw, "This is..." "Part of it's tail. Can we get the gold now?" The woman nodded, grabbing a sack from under the drawer and handing it to her. "Hundred and fifty gold." Thalia nodded, walking out of the building with Molly and Mina closely behind. "How do we split it", Molly asked with a smile. "Fifty each", she responded, putting the large bag of gold into the satchel. "Where are we going first?"

The three of them walked into their first shop which was right up Molly's alley. Colorful clothes fit for any carny, with stripes, stars and extravagant patterns. The trio looked around, Molly and Mina enjoying the bright colored clothes but Thalia went to the back, grabbing five pairs of black pants. "NOPE", Molly shouts, startling the poor woman. He walked over, taking the jet black pants away. "Get some more color. You look like a brooding thief." She glared at him before walking off, picking up something that caught her eye. A sweater. She gave a small smile, picking it up and following Molly's advice. Grabbing some more items, she walked into the changing room.

"What do you think?" The other two turned to see a different version of Thalia. Her once grey shirt was now a nice yellow sweater. Her pants were black and yellow vertical stripes that tucked into a new pair of black boots. A black beanie sat on her head and her trench coat sat comfortably. She was also smiling a little wider, her cheeks dusted with pink. "Oh my gods", Mina shouted, running up and hugging her sister. "I absolutely love it!" Thalia smiled, "Enough color for you, Mollymauk?" He smirked, walking up and tugging at the jacket, "Absolutely. You went from a brooding thief to a brooding bee!" "Fuck off", she said, punching his shoulder.

The trio laughed and Molly said, "Would you mind if I got a trim? Just to get rid of these dead ends." Mina shook her head and Thalia said, "I might join on that. Starting to miss my short hair." "Oh, I missed your short hair! Looked really good on you", Mina chirped in excitement. "Well, let's finish shopping so we can finally see it!" Thalia bought two pairs of black pants but three more of what she was wearing along with five sets of the yellow shirt. Mina fished around the clothes, buying three different colored dresses along with two pairs of striped pants, like her sister's but they were pink and blue. Molly bought similar items, including a skirt or two, and smiled even wider when he found a teal pair of pants with golden stars on them. "Perfect", he said.

The trio paid, the price not being too much, about seven gold total for all of them, and they walked off to a barber shop. Molly's haircut was quick and easy, along with Mina's. However it took a little too long for an impatient Mina to wait for her sister. "Hey, I'm going to that shop next door, the makeup one." "Alright, if you see anything that would look good on me, buy it? I'll pay you back." "Alright, see you in a bit, Molly." She walked off and ten minutes later, Thalia finally stepped out looking completely different. It was now a bob with a bit of an undercut to relieve heat. It puffed up a bit with the beanie on you could barely tell. "Wow, don't you look half decent", Molly smiled, causing her to glare. "In all seriousness, you look fantastic, dear." "Thanks, Molly." Mina walked back in to see her sister, her eyes widening in excitement. "Oh my gods! Look at you", she shouted, running up and petting her sister's hair. "Mina, please stop", Thalia said slightly agitated, looking at her sister. Mina stopped and with sad, puppy dog eyes, she muttered, "Darn it."

As they walked back, Molly noticed a certain shop. "Hey, can you guys wait for me outside this shop for me?" The girls nodded and Molly walked inside a familiar shop. "Oh hello there, friend", a blueish grey firbolg said with a large, dopey grin. "Hello, Pumat", Molly said, hugging the familiar giant. "Where are your friends", Pumat asked, causing Molly's smile to shrink. "I was actually gonna talk to you about that", Molly started. "When was the last time you saw them?" "Oh, you were with them." Molly's smirk remained though his heart seemed to shatter. "Alright. I know that as soon as they step foot in Zadash they will come to you. Can you give them this letter for me", Molly asked, fishing the envelope out of his pocket. "Oh, of course", Pumat smiled. "I can buy three healing potions though." A second Pumat came from the back, placing three vials in front of the purple tiefling. "Thank you, Pumat." "Goodbye, friend."

Molly stepped out, putting one of the vials in his bag. "Hey, got you guys a gift", he said, only seeing Thalia. "Where's Mina", he asked. As if on cue, Mina ran out of the shop across the street. "Hey, Molly! Got you a gift", she said, handing him a bag. "Well, I got one for the two of you", he smiles, handing them each a potion. Taking the bag, he opened it to see a maroon sleeping bag and a pillow. "So you can finally have your own", Mina says softly. "Well, thank you very much", Molly stated, his accent becoming a little bolder. "Well, come on you two, let's get going", Thalia says. The two follow closely behind, talking and enjoying their last night in Zadash.


	12. Chapter Eleven | Welcome Home

** Written 11/23/2020-11/24/2020 **

_ Chapter Eleven | Welcome Home _

The trio was saddling up the horses the next morning, Thalia up front with the horses and Mina and Molly in the back. "Where are we going", Molly asked the girls as he shuffled his cards. "How about we visit home? Haven't been there in a while." Thalia sighed, "Could be nice."

They were bouncing along the road in the forest a day or so later, quietly enjoying themselves. Molly was sitting in the back, playing with Mina's hair as she slept. Small braids filled the long, shade of sunset colored hair as Molly wove it between his fingertips. Ruby red eyes watched her movements, trying not to wake her up from her slumber.

The cart hit a bump in the road, and Mina slowly started to stir to her senses. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Molly's voice rang through the cart and Mina smiled. "Aw, you think I'm pretty." Molly's smile widened as he booped her nose, "Don't be getting ahead of yourself now." The girl rolled her eyes, grabbing the homemade cards that Molly put down when she fell asleep, immediately starting to draw again. Molly sighed, continuing to play with her hair until Thalia said, "Here we are, Tirna Nog." Molly and Mina looked up to see a small town on the horizon. A forest made a perfect circle around the sleepy town, causing the place to seem a lot more trapped from where he was. The horses kept walking and Molly couldn't help but wonder what this town was like.

When they finally arrived Molly saw the houses were all made out of smoothed stone and Molly saw kids running around. When they pulled into the local tavern, Thalia said, "Seems like more people are out than usual." Mina nodded as she pulled stuff out. "Yeah but it's good to be home", Mina smiled. The trio walked in and Mina smiled brightly, "Mrs. Lynn!" A woman with bright green skin turned her head, a mess of blue hair rolled down her back like a waterfall. "Mina! Thalia", she shouts, dropping the empty mug she was holding and running up to them. The rest of the bar looked just as welcoming as people of different races ran up to hug them. "You two have been gone for so long! Look how big you've gotten", the green skinned woman smiled, cupping her hands around Thalia's face. "Good to see you too, Mrs. Lynn." "Oh, enough of that, you girls are grown up now! Lynn is fine." Her attention turned from the girls to Molly who she immediately went up too. "Who's your friend", she asked in excitement. "Mollymauk Tealeaf, at your service", he said with a bow. "Oh, aren't you a charmer", she blushed, leading them to a table.

"It's been long since I've seen you girls! Tell me what you want to eat and I'll get it for you, free of charge." The girls gave some drink orders so Molly said, "Just some ale, please." Giving a thumbs up, she walked to the back. "You two seem popular", Molly said with a smile. "Well, I guess. This is a small town, everybody knows everyone", Thalia grumbled tiredly.

When Lynn came back, she set down their drinks and Thalia immediately downed her coffee. "Are you three here for Wild's Grandeur", she asked with a smile. "Is that this week", Thalia asked tiredly. "Mmhmm, in four days", Lynn said with a smile. "Well, I guess we could stay for a few days", Thalia said with a strained smile. Her comrades high five, smiling at the news. "Well, I got to get back to work. I'm guessing you'll want a room", she asked. "Two please", Molly said, causing her to nod. She walked behind the counter, grabbing two keys before setting them on the table. "Enjoy yourselves now."

The crew look at each other, enjoying the atmosphere of the small yet homely tavern. "When was the last time you came home", Molly asked, trying to break the silence. "Oh, um, we actually haven't", Mina gave a small laugh. Molly nodded, not wanting to pry for a reason after seeing how tired Thalia was. "So, you grew up here. You have to show me around", Molly smiled, trying to lighten the mood which worked well on the long haired twin. "Oh that will be fun! I'll show you around once we get everything unpacked." He smiled at Mina's words, finishing his drink before taking the keys. "Shall we?" The ladies nodded, following Molly up the stairs.

Arriving in the girl's room, they sit down on the bed and begin to relax. "So, are we going out", Mina asked excitedly, looking at her two companions. "Not me", Thalia said tiredly. "It's getting late and I need to sleep. You guys should do the same." Molly shrugged, "I'm not tired." Mina agreed, but Thalia glared, "Try to sleep anyway." Molly and Mina quickly got the message and Molly asked, "Want us to go to my room for the night?" "Sure."

Molly and Mina walked into the room across the hall, Molly placing his stuff down as he asked, "What's wrong with her?" Mina gave a soft sigh, nervously asking, "Did she tell you about when we grew up here?" "Yeah, like when she robbed a shop here", he asked, raising a brow. "Not so loud", Mina whispered, looking at the light under the door for shadows.

"Well, it was more than just that. Thalia didn't have anything in common with Dad and she was arguing with Mom. Hell, she wasn't even talking to me. She ended up meeting some new kids in town who grew up in a clan of bandits. They got her into stealing from people leaving town like merchants who brought no support from monsters. Eventually they started breaking into houses and then they tried a shop. When I saw Thalia there, I was heartbroken but told her to run before the guards came. I said she was never there and she got off without any repercussions. Good things came out of it though. She started getting along with Mom and Dad before they..." Mina took a breath before saying, "They're in jail but she's still nervous. That's why she doesn't want us going out at night." Molly nodded, understanding Mina's pain and why Thalia's reasoning.

"I can't wait to see what this town looks like in the morning. I'm expecting the full grand tour tomorrow", Molly said, trying to lift the tension, which succeeded when Mina started to tell him about her hometown as he played with her hair. The night turned into several different activities like telling each other stories and working on Mina's cards together. Slowly, Mina started to get drowsy and went off to bed.

As our trio slept softly in their beds, two souls cloaked in black sat in the basement of a bar on the other side of town. "So, I heard Thalia's in town", one said, her copper hair resting on her shoulders. The other from across the room raised a brow, "Really?" The woman nodded, a smile on her face. "Why don't we invite her over for a little... chat." 


	13. Chapter Twelve | Hometown Smile

**You can tell I really like wholesome stuff based on all the chapters I wrote <3**

**Written 11/25/2020-11/26/2020**

_Chapter Twelve | Hometown Smile_

  
Morning birds chirped outside of Mollymauk's window, helping him to rise from his dreamless sleep. Molly ruffled his curly violet hair before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Standing up and stretching, he walked over and grabbed one of the skirts he bought the other day. It was two layers, one a jet black with a sheer fabric over it. Incredibly simple but Molly could pull it together. Looking through the shirts he owned, he decided on a teal shirt that went all the way up his neck, and sleeves expanded in the middle but cinched at the sleeves. Quickly brushing his teeth and hair, he was putting his shoes on when there was a knock at the door. "Come in, Mina", he said and when it did open, sure enough, the long haired twin stood there.

"How did you know it was me", she grumbled, sitting on the bed. "A hunch", Molly said with a smile and a flick of his tail. She rolled her eyes as she watched Molly put his elaborate coat on. "Ready to go?" Molly nodded, and as he stepped out, he saw Thalia do the same. "Good morning", he said and all she could do was nod. "Oh, are you joining us", Mina asked, leaning against Molly but Thalia shook her head. "I saw Lynn was understaffed yesterday and I thought I'd offer some assistance." Mina's smile shrunk, "Will you come out and find us later?" Thalia gave a nod, "Yeah. You two have fun though." That seemed to satisfy the excitable twin as she grabbed Molly and dragged him out the door.

Walking down the cobblestone road, Molly couldn't help but admire the quaint town. Restaurants and pubs seemed to be on every street, not even accounting for the food stands. Musicians played on every other street corner so there was a song to bring pep in his step. Kids of every race and culture ran around and played together in harmony. Paper streamers and decorations filled the streets along with flowers of all colors, probably for Wild's Grandeur.

Mina smiled at the amusement in Molly's eyes as she ran up to the nearest food stand and when she came back, she had two kabobs. "Here", she said, handing one to her companion before starting to nibble at her own. Molly took the stick, eating some of the meat which caused an explosion of flavor in his mouth. "This is really good!" Mina hummed in agreement, not bothering to talk as she ate the meat, causing a stain over her mouth. Molly rolled his eyes at her, grabbing a napkin from the stall and handing it to her. "Thanks", she said, wiping her face off. Molly kept eating his snack while she showed him around and they soon arrived at the town square.

A large circle sat at the center of town with five main roads intersecting into the center. Shops lined the enclosed space as a small band played music. Some people danced, some kids tried to sing along but it was absolutely wonderful. Mina gave a smile, saying, "I'm going to do some window shopping. Meet back here in a bit?" "Oh, absolutely. See you in a bit." The two went in separate directions and Molly found himself in a beauty supply store.

Molly shrugged, looking through the shelves and different halls before growling under his breath, "For a world where people can be every color of the gay ass rainbow, they seem to have a love of boring browns." He eventually found some makeup in his color pallet, container of eyeshadows in shades of purple, grey and metallic colors. Molly couldn't help but smile, "I can work with this." Grabbing it and a set of five brushes, he walked over to the counter.

Quickly paying, Molly walked over to the next store and saw something that caught his eye. A set of watercolor paints. It wasn't an elaborate kit for professional painters, but not a child's pallet either. It had two sets of fifteen colors, one row normal colors while the others were pearlescent. Molly smiled, thinking about when he first met the twins a little over a week ago and picking up the set. Molly walked over and, as he went to pay, he saw something else that looked like the other twin would enjoy. A leather-bound journal. Molly picked it up, carrying it to the counter and paying for the gifts out of pocket.

Walking outside of the shop, Molly saw Mina walk out of a shop across the plaza, putting some stuff he couldn't quite make out into her bag. Molly strutted on over, putting an arm over her shoulder and said, "What you buy?" Mina jumped back in surprise before glaring at Molly. "You scared me!" He rolled his eyes, not so subtly trying to open her bag but his hand only ended up getting slapped. "Stay out of my bag! There's gifts for everyone." Molly's brow raised and his smirk only grew as he tried to take the satchel, "Now I got to know!" Mina held it tight in her arms before sighing, "I'm not telling you what I got you but I found new bullets for Thalia to try." Molly ignored her statement and was still trying to grab the satchel but Mina only started walking, "Come on, let's grab some food." "You're being no fun", the tiefling whined as he followed the half-elf around the town.

"What time is it, anyway", he asked, head leaning on Mina's. "Mid afternoon, why?" Molly shot up and looked at her to tell if she was joking. "No way! How long was I asleep?" "At least fourteen hours. I came by earlier this morning but no one answered." Molly's eyes widened but he honestly wasn't surprised. He could easily sleep ten hours but fourteen? Molly didn't even realize when Mina grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the restaurant. It was comfortably small, only about ten tables spread out a good distance. The two took the table closest to the wall.

"You are usually cheerful but you're not usually this giddy. What's got you in such a good mood?" Mina looked down, a bit of pink in her cheeks but her smile only seemed to grow. "Nothing really. It's just good to be home." "I got you something", Molly said, starting to pull the paint set out of his bag before Mina said, "No!" Molly looked at her in surprise which she gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, it's kind of a thing here that you give gifts on Wild's Grandeur. I know you don't know that but that's why I'm not giving your gift yet." Molly looked at her, seeing her eyes pleading with him so he slowly put it back. "Oh, alright." Her smile returned and the two enjoyed their dinner.

When they got back to the tavern, the sun was starting to set and the two were laughing and smiling as they walked to the twins room. There, a piece of paper sat which Mina took off the door and read aloud. "Hey Mina. Going to be out till late. Love you, Thalia." She raised a brow and looked over to her horned companion, "Alright? I don't have the key though." "You can stay with me till she comes back", Molly said. "You even left your cards in my room if you want to keep working on them." Mina nodded, following Molly into his room.

Mina scribbled on the bed while Molly sat with his back leaning on the mattress, shuffling the cards. Slowly, Molly got up and walked out the door to see Thalia still hadn't arrived yet. A small frown sat foreign on his face as he turned his head to the sleeping Mina who passed out there. "Something seems off", Molly mumbled but shut and locked the door behind him. Taking his coat off and laying it against the bed frame, he softly lifted the half elf and moved her over on the bed. Tucking the two of them in, Molly's eyes slowly closed and he fell into a deep sleep.


	14. Chapter Thirteen | Old Faces

**Trigger Warning for blades and torture and stuff**

**Written 11/24/2020**

_Chapter Thirteen | Old Faces_

Cold. Damp. Disgusting. Pools of water sat on the stone ground as Thalia slowly stirred to her senses. She looked around, taking a breath and trying to figure out where she was and what to do. Her wrists chained to the wall as she sat in silence, a gag over her mouth. There were no windows so she couldn't see how long she had been in there. She didn't honestly know how long but it was long enough that being in this damp, mold-ridden cell caused her to probably have some kind of infection. Her face was in her knees, waiting for whatever was going to happen to her.

The door slowly opened and two figures stood in front of her. One was tall with extremely long copper hair and piercing green eyes. A long black dress barely hit her ankles and you could see black boots. Her chin was chiseled and long ears poked out from beneath her hair. The other person was shorter who had fiery red hair, quite literally as it illuminated the dark and dingy room. His skin was a dark shade of red and orange eyes stared down at her. 

"Hello, Thalia", the tall one said, smiling at the poor girl's suffering. "How lovely for you to drop by." Thalia rolled her eyes as the woman stepped closer. Taking a tight grip of Thalia's yellow shirt, she said, "It feels good seeing you locked up. Feels right after what you did." She pulled, causing the chains to pull Thalia's arms back and an audible pop could be heard. A grunt came from Thalia's muzzled mouth and the woman said, "Aww, did that hurt? How about this?" A swift kick to the side caused Thalia to topple over. Lifting her dress a bit, she revealed two daggers held to the side of her legs. Taking one out, she cut Thalia's cheek, blood running down it. "Two years behind bars, in a cell just like this one. I wish you knew what that was like Thalia." Another gash went down her arm as the knife cut against it. 

The woman laughed, saying, "Oh come on, Thalia. You used to be so much more fun. Robbing random travelers, pulling pranks, but then that one heist made you a complete and utter pansy." Tears fell from Thalia's eyes as she screamed something out but it was muffled by the gag in her mouth. The sound was repeated and the woman and man could guess what she meant. "You're sorry? You left us in jail for two years while you got out due to nepotism. You have some fucking nerve to come back here", the genasi said, glaring at her. "We got some of our revenge. Still can't believe your parents died from that 'freak accident' all those years ago." Thalia's eyes glared in anger at the two of them, seeming to shine in rage. "Aww, she's getting mad", the woman said sadistically. "Look at her! She looks like a caged lion." 

Thalia swung her leg but she ended up getting cut again. "No you don't! We'll be back for you later. For now, we got to get revenge on your dear, sweet sister." Thalia's blood boiled at the thought as she pulled against the chains, tears spilling down her face. The woman took the gag out of her mouth as Thalia screamed, "No! Leave her alone! She did nothing!" "Oh, how wrong you are. She put us in jail. We can't get jobs anymore. We've been living in a barn for the past two years. You ruined our lives." Hand still gripping Thalia's face and the blade moving to her neck, Alyonna leaned in, kissing Thalia. Red lipstick smeared Thalia's face but it could barely be told apart from the blood. "You both deserve it." The two walk out and Thalia pulls against her chains, "Get back here and fight me, you cowards!" 

The girl crawled into a small ball in the corner, feeling the tears run down her face along with the blood. She shifted her body so the blood wouldn't hit the new shirt. All she could think of was the safety of her sister so she muttered, "Molly, please, keep her safe."


	15. Chapter Fourteen | Finding Thalia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning for blades and torture and stuff
> 
> ALSO, Updates are still going to happen every Friday but it's going to be every other week on Tuesdays. We are catching up to where I'm riding way too fast and I need more time.

**Written 11/26/2020-12/1/2020**

_Chapter Fourteen | Finding Thalia_

The lavender tiefling woke up to the sound of rushed steps in the morning and the voice of someone panicking. "It's been all night and she's still not here!" Molly sat up to see Mina pacing and tears falling down her face. "Mina? What's wrong", he said groggily, walking over and putting his hands on her shoulders. Through hiccups, tears and heavy breathing, she managed to say, "Thalia's not back. I asked Lynn and she said she hadn't come in this morning and the door is still locked. When she opened it, Thalia wasn't there." Mina hugged Molly tight and he softly kissed her head. "We'll find her, don't worry. You need to calm down before we do anything." Mina's breath slowly went back to a normal pace and the tears stopped. "Okay, I think I'm better", she said but her breathing was still a bit off. 

The two walked out into the streets of Tirna Nog, rushed steps as they looked for their missing companion. "Thalia", Mina cried out on one street. A little over two hours passed and there was still no sign of the short haired twin. "We should probably ask the Crown's Guard for help. We'll probably find her faster that way", Molly said nervously. "I suppose that's best", Mina said, following her to the guard's tower. 

There were four guards max, sitting around a table playing a card game, causing Mina to growl. "Nice to see we still have the same four bumbling idiots", Mina growled, "You would think in the four years we've been gone, they would've added more guards." Molly looked at her with shock, Mina never got sarcastic or rude. "Dale, nice to see you again", she said with an obviously forced smile. One in a blue cap turned his head to see her and he obviously had been drinking, "Mina! When did our town's savior get back home?" "Two days ago and you would know if you were out doing your job", Mina said, causing him to laugh. "No need! No crime ever goes on here!" 

Sighing, she noticed the empty cells, "What happened to the two I caught?" "Oh, Pyros and Alyonna? Let out for good behavior two years ago." Mina's eyes shot open and she asked, "Where are they living now?" "If I remember, the old Myrtlewood plantation." She immediately grabbed Molly's arm and ran out the door.

"This is not good", she said, running through town, "Moonweaver, I beg you to keep her safe." Molly was running alongside her, he had never seen Mina this frantic but he supposed he had never seen her while Thalia was in danger. The two ran across the small and colorful town to a large plantation and Mina went to the furthest barn. Farm tools, hay beds, and beer bottles sat there, obviously indicating life. A small box sat next to a ladder going underground. "Why would that be in a barn", Molly asked, looking at the suspicious hole. "There was a war here about a hundred something years ago. Quite normal for the old barns and houses to keep a cell or something." Picking up the box, she saw the items inside and said, "It's Thalia's! She's down there!" Mina started climbing down first, box in hand with Molly quickly following behind. 

Puddles of water were on the stone floor and a single torch lit to the end of the hallway where a door was cracked open. Running in the two saw Thalia, chained to the wall and a gag in her mouth. Her body was obviously cut with some kind of blade, the most obvious cut being from across her cheek. "Thalia", Mina said, running up and hugging her as tight as she could, "Thank the Moonweaver, you're alive." Molly came up and helped her out of her gag. "You alright, dear", Molly asked and she rolled her eyes. "Oh yes. I got cut several times and have been in a cell for hours, why wouldn't I be alright?" Molly laughed as Mina casted a healing spell on her sister. "Good to see you have your humor." "Yeah, anyway, Molly, there's a lock pick in my jacket, can you get me out?" Molly fished around the pockets of the large trench coat, finding the lock pick and started undoing the lock. Once they were off, Mina rubbed her wrists before taking the jacket, "Thanks guys."

"Well well well, look who's here." The three looked at a woman with long hair and devilishly red eyes, holding hands with a fire genasi. "Pyros, Alyonna", Thalia said with a growl, immediately grabbing her pistol. "Olthir, and what's this? A sad little devil?" Molly growled at the insult, assuming the girls had also gotten insulted with a word he'd never heard before. "You have some nerve coming back to this town", she said, giving a glare at the twins, "Especially after what you did to us." "You deserved it, you broke into a store", Mina said, hand firmly placed in her rapier. "So did your sister!" Mina took a step back, glancing at Thalia sadly. "Whatever, let's finish this", Pyros said before looking at Molly. "You can leave. We don't have a problem with you." "No, I'll stay, thanks", Molly said, lowering his stance and pulling out his scimitars. "Suit yourself, demon", he said, grabbing his dagger. 

Swiftly, it was thrown across the room but was caught in the wall behind Molly. Mina was the first to charge, pulling out the elegant rapier cutting into the elf's arm. "You bitch!" "Speak for yourself", Mina responded with, taking a step back. Molly ran up to the genasi, and two strikes went against its chest. Thalia grabbed her whip, trying to hit the woman but hit Mina instead. Taking the scene to her advantage, Alyonna grabbed the two swords at her hips and ran up to Thalia, cutting her side. The genasi lunged at Molly, a ball of fire in it's hand that scorched his skin but Molly managed to kick his legs, tripping him. One of the scimitars went across his back when he was getting up, causing the fiery haired man to fall on the floor.

"Thalia!" Turning his head, he saw the blade go through Thalia's chest as she toppled over, the elven woman laughing. In rage, he saw Mina push her aside, trying to heal her sister. "Oh hell no", Molly shouted, getting up from the genasi but the elf was ready, blocking his attack. Molly leaned down, cutting her leg with one of his blades to cause a deep gash. His eyes start to bleed blood as he gets cut across the nose but he manages to cut her stomach. She scowled before driving her two swords across his stomach. Molly fell over, both his swords falling out of his hands as he edged backwards. The woman glared but something drenched in red went into her stomach and barely came out the other end as she fell over.

A frantic Mina looked at him, hand cast out in shock and fear. Molly glanced at her before scrambling over to the twins. Looking at Thalia, he saw she was giving shallow breaths. Mina pulled the dagger and a bright light came to her fingers. Placing her hands over the wound and mumbling an incantation, the wound slowly started to heal itself. "Mina?" The girl laughed as her sister came to, trying to rise but it definitely hurt. Mina wrapped her arms around Thalia and said, "Don't ever do that to me again." Thalia glanced at Molly before softly hugging her sister. "Sorry." Mina pulled her sister up before looking at Molly, "Come here." Taking a step forward, the same yellow light ran across his chest, healing his cuts a bit and refreshing his body. 

Their attention turned to their enemies who were knocked out on the ground. Mina walked over, handcuffing Alyonna before casting 'Healing Word'. "I still don't like you", Mina said like an angry child before doing the same to the pyromaniac. "I'll take them to the Crown's Guard. You get her to bed", nudging the woman he was helping stand. "I'm fine, Molly." "Bullshit." Mina laughed, helping her sister as Molly grabbed the two criminals. "Want me to just get the guards to come to you", she asked, glancing at Molly. "That... would be appreciated."

As Molly sat there, the elf's eyes opened and immediately tugged at the restraints. "No use. Not getting out of those anytime soon." A growl escaped her throat as she glared at him, "This isn't the last you've seen of me. You and the twins may have won the battle, but I will win the war." He hummed, crouching down and looking her in the eyes, "Given the fact you are in restraints and about , I seriously doubt that."

The Crown's Guard came by not long after, right when the two were starting to wake up. Molly looked at Dale, "You're in charge?" "No, I'm standing in for Garroth while he is in Zadash due to them being understaffed." Molly sighed, looking at him, "Well, never let them out. They almost killed someone tonight and if it wasn't for Mina, she would've. Also, stop drinking on the job, it makes you look bad." Leaving the guards to do their job, Molly climbed up the ladder and back to the tavern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes out to my ex. It was karmic justice to see what should've happened in real life happen to your character <3


	16. Chapter Fifteen | Wild's Grandeur

**Written 12/01/2020**

_Chapter Fifteen | Wild's Grandeur_

The next day was spent entirely to help Thalia get better after what happened. She kept assuring them that she would be alright but her sister refused to leave her side. Molly wasn't as panicked as his musical friend but he was still helping out where he could. Her cuts were starting to heal into scars by the morning of Wild's Grandeur but she was still incredibly sore and tired. 

Thalia signed by mid afternoon, glaring at her overly caring sister. "I'm fine, Mina. Quit doting on me. It's just a few cuts that are almost gone anyway.'', she said, grabbing her sister's shirt like a dog grabbing it's puppy's scruff. She looked between the two of them. "It's Wild's Grandeur. You two go out and have fun while I enjoy some privacy." "But Thalia", Mina started to say before Thalia gave a glare, signaling the conversation to be over. Molly nodded, saying, "We got an hour or two so I'm going to get ready." Thalia gave a thumbs up, and Molly left, shutting the door behind him. 

Molly looked over his clothes, deciding on the teal pants and golden stars and one of the white shirts he owned. Slipping on the clothes and tying his boots, Molly pulled out the new makeup supplies he bought and started to contour his face. It wasn't terrible for using only eyeshadow, it actually looked really good with shining cheeks and a wide smile on his face. Molly grabbed his coat, throwing it over his shoulders before grabbing his bag. 

Walking out of his room and over to the twins, he gave a rhythmic knock on the door. The Mina that stood in front of him looked very different but just as beautiful. Her long, strawberry blonde hair was out of the braid and now down, showing how long it actually is because it went down to the bottom of her back, waving like waterfalls all the way down. Her blue eyes seemed to shimmer and the makeup she did couldn't cover up the freckles that crossed her cheeks. Her normal yellow dress was now replaced with a off the shoulder, pink, décolleté dress with maroon accents of a similar color to Molly's coat. The dress was cinched at her waist with a new, maroon corset Molly had never seen before and went down to her knees where a new pair of boots met the hem and went all the way down to her toes. 

"Hey, ready to go?" Mina smiled awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair behind her pointed ears. "Oh absolutely", Molly said with a bow, taking her hand. "No falling in love with her, Mollymauk", Thalia shouted from inside the room, causing her sister to turn. "No one will be falling in love tonight!" Mina grabbed her bag before slamming the door behind her, "Sorry for her, she is being a real pain." "No problem but we don't want to be late, do we?" Mina laughed, taking Molly's hand and he undid his bow. 

Walking out the door, the two followed the songs and the smell of food to the town center. There, people were dancing and drinking to their heart's content as a band played on the sidelines. Molly smiled to himself, seeing all the people dedicating themselves to the vices of the world. Mina smiled, running over and grabbing some food before going back to Molly, "Eat up, we got something better to attend." "What's better than a party", Molly asked with a wide grin and outstretched arms, causing him to spin around. "You'll see, now take your food." The two sat on the ground, backs against the wall as they ate. When Mina finished, she stood up and went over to buy two bottles of ale she tucked into her bag. "Ready to go?" Molly stood up and Mina grabbed his hand, leading him to the back of one of the town's shops where a metal ladder sat. Climbing up it as quickly as possible, when she reached the top she gestured to him to follow. 

When Molly finally arrived at the top of the ladder, he was surprised at what he saw on the roof. Old barrels of beer were now used to grow roses, camellias, and other kinds of flowers, all in a rainbow of different colors. It overlooked the town below that was dancing and enjoying the festival. The band was actually against the wall of the building they're on so the two of them could hear the music quite well. The center of the roof was flat with large, open space and Mina smiled, spinning to herself to take in the scenery. "Good to be back", she said to no one in particular. "So, is this a special space for you", Molly asked, sitting down on the roof, close as he can to the festival but looking at the girl. She smiled and nodded as she looked at him. 

"It's my spot, sort of." "Sort of", he questioned with a raised brow, a large smirk, and his tail playfully flicking. She plopped down next to him with a smile, her feet hanging over the edge. "Yeah. You probably haven't met her but Ms. Sylharice owns the shop and she lets me come up here whenever I need to have time to myself. As far as I know, no one knows about this spot except her, and us." Molly smiled, using his tail to pluck a flower off the bushes and putting it in his fingers. "Well, it's as beautiful as a rose." Handing it to her, the two laughed as she twirled it in her fingers, a small smile on her face as she pulled something out of her bag. 

"I got us some ale along with your gifts!" Molly took one of the bottles along with the two bags she had in there. Opening the first bag, he saw some makeup. Bronzer, highlighter and blush, all that would perfectly compliment his amethyst skin tone. "Where did you get these? I went to the shop in town and I didn't find anything", he said, admiring the set. "Well, I bought it in Zadash. You asked me to get you some and I forgot to give it to you then so I thought I would make it a gift and tada!" Molly's grin only grew and he said, "Well, thank you dear!" He opened the other bag and what he saw almost made him cry. A large black fan, decorated with an embroidered, rainbow peacock and white flowers. "Do you like it", Mina asked nervously, glancing at the fan before looking back into his crimson eyes. "I absolutely love it! Automatically one of my most valuable treasures!" Mina sighed in relief and a wide smile sat on her face. "I'm glad you like it!"

Molly's smile shrunk as he looked at his bag. "I got yours too. It's not as fantastic as what you got me but I hope it will suffice", he said, pulling out the paint set. "I remember you saying you wanted to paint your cards so I got you a set of watercolors." Mina was silent as she took it, setting it down before suddenly wrapping her arms around the lavender tiefling. "I love it. Thank you, Mollymauk." Molly's smile returned as the two of them hugged. 

When they pulled out, he took both bottles of ale and opened to them. "To one wild Wild's Grandeur", he said, making a toast. Taking the bottle, she smiled, "To friends." The sound of the bottles clinking signaled them to start drinking and Mina coughed after a few mouthfuls. "Not a drinker", Molly asked laughing. "No, I just usually drink sweeter drinks, like mead." Molly's brows rose and he said, "That's some hard stuff! You must have a high tolerance!" "Nope", Mina shouted, taking another sip. 

When Molly finished his bottle, the band below started to play a new song that caused Molly's tail to move to the beat. "Come on", Molly said, standing up. "What", she said, shifting her gaze but only to find Molly with a grand bow. "May I have this dance", Molly asked, his ruby eyes twinkling with amusement. Putting her hand in his, he pulls her up and into his arms. "Do you even have any dancing experience, Mollymauk?" "Well, I danced with one of my friends once, and I was in the circus so we needed some training." "I didn't know that about you", she said with a smile, looking him up and down. "Did I not? I swore I would've told you", he said, looking away and tapping his chin.

She rolled her eyes as the song ended and a similar, but different song came on. Molly, grabbing her hands, led her around the roof. It wasn't a super serious dance but it was beautiful non the less as he spun her around, the two letting the music control them. When the song changed, the two slowed their tempo to match the beat. At the end of the song, the two laughed loudly as the world seemed to belong to the two of them.

Mina was the first to break out of her laughter, looking out at the town below them that had started to head in for the night because the taps ran dry and the stalls ran out of food. The clock strikes ten and she laughed, "We should probably get some sleep since we leave tomorrow." Molly's face quickly formed into an overly dramatic frown, "Aw, but we were having so much fun!" The girl gave a sigh, "But the night is no longer young and, though I wish we could stay here till the morning, we got to sleep." Molly kept up his mopey act all the way down the ladder but the two went back to their usual demeanor as they walked back into the tavern.

"Hey, Molly?" He hummed, turning his attention back to the strawberry blonde woman who's eyes seemed to shine brighter than the stars outside. "Thank you. Tonight was amazing." "You're absolutely welcome, dear." The two left to their rooms and Molly immediately went to wash off his makeup before falling asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, would you guys be mad if this became a couple? I'm not sure yet, it probably won't but I would like to know if you all are opposed to it. Comment if you want :)


	17. Chapter Sixteen | Our Home

** Written 12/02/2020 **

_ Chapter Sixteen | Our Home _

Morning hit almost as hard as Thalia was hitting the door the next morning. "Mollymauk! I swear to gods, get your ass up!" The amethyst colored tiefling grumbled and stretched like a cat on the bed before standing up. "Shut up! People are trying to sleep", he shouted back, not appreciating the woman at the door. Tiredly, he got up, brushing his teeth before putting on a skirt and a white shirt. Throwing on the comfortable and familiar jacket, Molly grabbed his supplies and walked out the door. "Happy?" "Very", Thalia said and Mina came out of their room ready to go but just as tired. "Thalia, the sun just started to rise", she hummed, holding her boots in her hands. "I know but there's something I think we should do before we go."

Leading the two of them downstairs and out to the stables, Mina smiled, "Mornin' boys." One of the horses nuzzled her neck and she gave him a small kiss. Loading the cart, Thalia took the reins as they left.

Bumbling down the rocky road, Mina and Molly were talking in the back, enjoying their space and privacy. Molly pulled the letter out of his pocket, reading it over for what must have been the millionth time. Memories always filled his head when he read the letter which wasn't surprising, it was from his best friends of course. "Hey, Molly?" Looking up, he saw Mina with a set of cards. "Yeah?" "Can you look at this reading for me?" 

Folding the letter, he put it in his pocket and scooted over to see a very similar reading he has been having the past few weeks with the Grave card and the Home card. "This looks way too similar to my readings", Molly said and Mina looked at him with astonishment. "Really?" A hum came from his throat causing Mina to sigh. "Great. Still a long road ahead of us, huh?" Molly was about to respond when the cart stopped and Thalia shouted, "We're here!" 

Crawling out of the back, the two saw the remains of an old plantation. A large barn stood on the outskirts, untouched by everything but the hand of time who certainly packs a punch. The once red barn was now chipped and falling apart with paint. The grass was obesely tall and grew wild and untamed. The once burned and blackened remains of an old house was now wrapped in ivy, wisteria, and moonflowers. The pastel colors brought life to the stone and burned wood that wrapped what was left of the house. "Oh my...", Mina said, putting her hands to her mouth and Thalia pulled her into a side hug. "Welcome home, sis."

"Did you know about this", Mina asked, looking at her sister in shock. "Lynn was telling me about it while I was helping her. I know how you like flowers and you did want a proper memorial for Mom and Dad so I thought we could stop by before we left again." Mina wiped the tears from her eyes as the three of them walked into the house. 

The place was burned to cinders but when they got to the area where Mina said the den once was now stood a growing magnolia tree that was growing due to a hole in what was left of the roof. A simple, carved sign stood there.

_In Loving Memory of Colyn and Avalon Arawn_

_Husband and Wife, Proud Parents of Thalia and Philomena and Truly Wonderful People_

Mina's hand trembled, looking at Molly with a smile and tears. Understanding what she said, he awkwardly left the room and went towards the entrance. Leaning against what was left of the stone wall, Molly felt a cold breeze come from out of nowhere, quite peculiar for the warm spring weather.

A quiet thirty minutes went by but a soft, "Molly", came from where he once was. Walking in, he saw Mina who seemed to calm her tears but he could also see that Thalia was also misty eyes with a few tear tracks going down her cheeks. The two's hands were intertwined as Mina's left hand was shakily left for Molly which he took softly. "Mom, Dad, this is Molly. He's been adventuring with us the last few weeks." Molly stepped up, giving a bow as he still held Mina's trembling hand. "Don't worry, your girls are in good hands." The wind blew through the house again and Thalia said, "Come on, we should get going." 

Molly nodded, waiting for Mina who kept quiet as her sister left the remains of the room. Mina instead kneeled on the ground, taking her finger to the ground, she traced a very familiar symbol. "Dear Lady Sehanine", she started, eyes shut as Molly sat down next to her in prayer. "I know it is more than a little late. Four years too late", she chuckled before continuing, "But please make sure my parents are alright and take care of the house? I noticed the moonflowers and I am certain they are your doing." Molly looked at her, noticing some more tears falling down her face as she finished, "Please keep them safe, my lady." 

Looking over to the familiar tiefling, he wiped some tears from her eyes, "I'm sure she will." Molly stood up, reaching a hand out for her to join him. Taking it, she looked back at the grave, "Bye Mom and Dad. I love you." Molly gave her a wide and sincere smile which Mina returned as they walked out.

"Hey, I forgot to give you two your gifts for Wild's Grandeur", Thalia said as the two walked over, pulling something out of her bag. Handing Mina a new, yellow dress with a lavender petticoat before handing Molly a set of leather armor. "Thanks but I don't really use armor", Molly said but she gave a small huff. "Oh no, after the chimera, you fucking need armor. You're gonna get your ass killed without some protection." Sighing, knowing there was no way to argue, he said, "Alright. Thank you. Oh, let me get your gift", he said, grabbing the leather bound journal and handing it to her. "Thank you, Molly."

The three sat on the back of the wagon and Mina sighed, "I think I'm ready to leave the house behind." "What? Is it not home anymore", Thalia asked, nudging her sister who shook her head. "Nope. Our home is now on the open road." Molly felt a squeeze in his hand which caused him to face the familiar girl who had knowing sapphire eyes. Molly returned with a smirk and Mina hopped off. "Thalia and I get the front and Molly can take a nap?" "Sounds brilliant", he said as the two sisters went to the front. 

As the cart left, Molly looked at the remains of the house, seeing some kind of mist on the porch. Squinting his eyes, he saw two humanoid shapes. One was a tall woman with large, pointed ears that stuck out from extremely long hair that sat loose on her shoulders. A man who was shorter than her and had his arm wrapped around her waist. His curly hair seemed to puff up on his head and large, circular glasses sat on his face. The two waved the group off, but Molly was the one who saw and wave back. The two shared a kiss before disappearing into the open air like flower petals in the wind.


	18. Chapter Seventeen | Promise Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! New chapter out! Love you guys so please remember that!

**Written 12/03/2020**

_ Chapter Seventeen | Promise Me _

The next day came fast and it went by just as quick. Mina and Molly were playing card games when Thalia pulled the cart over to the side of the road. Coming around, she looked at them with a smile. "Hey, Mina?" A hum came from the girl who was already starting to get up. "Can you hunt? I want to talk to Molly about something." Looking at her sister, she sighed, grabbing her sister's pistol, saying, "I'm stealing this." 

As Mina walked off into the woods, Thalia looked at Molly before climbing in the cart and sitting down next to him. "So, how are you", she said awkwardly. Molly rolled his eyes, at least she was trying to make the conversation something normal. "Great, how are you?" "Good." Awkward silence filled the cart as Thalia fidgeted with her fingers and Molly shuffled cards. "You wanted to talk to me about something?" "Oh, yeah", she stammered before sighing, leaning her back against the wood of the cart.

"Molly, while you're adventuring with us, if I ever tell you to take Mina and run, do it without questions, okay?" Molly's eyes widened as he stopped shuffling the cards, "Are you serious?" She nodded and Molly responded, "No way, absolutely not." Thalia glared before saying, "Molly, I swear to whatever deity you worship, please!" "What even brought this about", he questioned, his hands flinging towards her in annoyance. 

Silence filled the cart as Molly waited for an answer but she tucked her knees into her chest. "Look, with Alyonna and Pyros kidnapping me the other day, all I could think about was keeping Mina safe. I love my sister, she is all I got left, so I don't want anything to happen to her. I want her to live a long, happy life, even if I have to risk my life for it." Molly looked at her in shock but smiled softly, moving to sit next to her. "Thalia, you don't just have Mina, you have me too." 

A small smile came to her face as she leaned her head on the smaller tiefling's shoulder. "Thanks Molly. But, please, promise me?" His arm reached around her shoulder as he pulled her into a side hug. "I promise."

"Thalia! Molly!" Mina's voice echoed through the forest in fear, causing the two to shoot up, grabbing their weapons and running through the woods. Hearts beating as they heard gunshots off in the distance. They found Mina holding the gun surrounded by at least a dozen gnolls. Some were on the ground, dead with gunshot and stab wounds but the rest of the hyena faced creatures were still up. Mina tried to fire the gun again but she looked to them, "Out of bullets." 

Everyone took a stance, Thalia drawing her sword and whip which Molly noticed and joked, "I don't think I've ever seen you use that thing." She rolled her eyes before running up to one of the gnolls, "Good thing I know how to use it." One of the gnolls lunged at Mina but a sword went straight through its chest. Then another went for her back, Molly jumped in front with his blades that crossed it's chest like an 'X'. "You alright", he asked, head tilted to Mina but still facing the monster. "Yeah", she said between breaths, "Just a little tired, that's all." When the beast came back at them, Molly managed to fling it to the side, hitting a tree before he killed it. "Well, that's not surprising."

A gnoll went straight at Mina but the rapier managed to puncture through its mouth quickly enough but the girl was panting. Standing in front of the girl like a knight in shining armor, Molly took quick work of the weak beasts. A sigh escaped his throat when he slayed his fourth creature and he looked to Thalia who was strangling the last one with her whip, boot squishing it's lungs as it choked for air. "Thalia, just put the poor thing out of its misery", the tiefling said. "I am." Molly rolled his eyes, leaving the other twin to stab the gnoll in the head. "Wow, and you say I'm a buzzkill", she said sarcastically. "You were torturing it with no good reason." "I have a good reason", she said, causing Molly to cross his arms. "That thing was trying to kill my sister, I'm at least allowed to fuck with it while it's on death's door." Molly sighed once more before walking up to Mina and helping her up. "Come on, let's go have dinner. We have some rations left over."


	19. Chapter Seventeen | Promise Me

**Written 12/03/2020**

_Chapter Seventeen | Promise Me_

  
The next day came fast and it went by just as quick. Mina and Molly were playing card games when Thalia pulled the cart over to the side of the road. Coming around, she looked at them with a smile. "Hey, Mina?" A hum came from the girl who was already starting to get up. "Can you hunt? I want to talk to Molly about something." Looking at her sister, she sighed, grabbing her sister's pistol, saying, "I'm stealing this."

As Mina walked off into the woods, Thalia looked at Molly before climbing in the cart and sitting down next to him. "So, how are you", she said awkwardly. Molly rolled his eyes, at least she was trying to make the conversation something normal. "Great, how are you?" "Good." Awkward silence filled the cart as Thalia fidgeted with her fingers and Molly shuffled cards. "You wanted to talk to me about something?" "Oh, yeah", she stammered before sighing, leaning her back against the wood of the cart.

"Molly, while you're adventuring with us, if I ever tell you to take Mina and run, do it without questions, okay?" Molly's eyes widened as he stopped shuffling the cards, "Are you serious?" She nodded and Molly responded, "No way, absolutely not." Thalia glared before saying, "Molly, I swear to whatever deity you worship, please!" "What even brought this about", he questioned, his hands flinging towards her in annoyance.

Silence filled the cart as Molly waited for an answer but she tucked her knees into her chest. "Look, with Alyonna and Pyros kidnapping me the other day, all I could think about was keeping Mina safe. I love my sister, she is all I got left, so I don't want anything to happen to her. I want her to live a long, happy life, even if I have to risk my life for it." Molly looked at her in shock but smiled softly, moving to sit next to her. "Thalia, you don't just have Mina, you have me too."

A small smile came to her face as she leaned her head on the smaller tiefling's shoulder. "Thanks Molly. But, please, promise me?" His arm reached around her shoulder as he pulled her into a side hug. "I promise."

"Thalia! Molly!" Mina's voice echoed through the forest in fear, causing the two to shoot up, grabbing their weapons and running through the woods. Hearts beating as they heard gunshots off in the distance. They found Mina holding the gun surrounded by at least a dozen gnolls. Some were on the ground, dead with gunshot and stab wounds but the rest of the hyena faced creatures were still up. Mina tried to fire the gun again but she looked to them, "Out of bullets."

Everyone took a stance, Thalia drawing her sword and whip which Molly noticed and joked, "I don't think I've ever seen you use that thing." She rolled her eyes before running up to one of the gnolls, "Good thing I know how to use it." One of the gnolls lunged at Mina but a sword went straight through its chest. Then another went for her back, Molly jumped in front with his blades that crossed it's chest like an 'X'. "You alright", he asked, head tilted to Mina but still facing the monster. "Yeah", she said between breaths, "Just a little tired, that's all." When the beast came back at them, Molly managed to fling it to the side, hitting a tree before he killed it. "Well, that's not surprising."

A gnoll went straight at Mina but the rapier managed to puncture through its mouth quickly enough but the girl was panting. Standing in front of the girl like a knight in shining armor, Molly took quick work of the weak beasts. A sigh escaped his throat when he slayed his fourth creature and he looked to Thalia who was strangling the last one with her whip, boot squishing it's lungs as it choked for air. "Thalia, just put the poor thing out of its misery", the tiefling said. "I am." Molly rolled his eyes, leaving the other twin to stab the gnoll in the head. "Wow, and you say I'm a buzzkill", she said sarcastically. "You were torturing it with no good reason." "I have a good reason", she said, causing Molly to cross his arms. "That thing was trying to kill my sister, I'm at least allowed to fuck with it while it's on death's door." Molly sighed once more before walking up to Mina and helping her up. "Come on, let's go have dinner. We have some rations left over."


	20. Chapter Eighteen | Fires of a City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will now just come out on Fridays, sorry

** Written 12/04/2020-12/05/2020 **

_ Chapter Eighteen | Fires of a City _

The trio traveled for two more days before knowing when they were going to arrive at the next town. Thalia was sleeping in the back as the sun started to show it's vibrant, end of day colors. Molly sat in the back, shuffling cards and occasionally laying a few out. Mina was up front, looking at the world as the cart moved along the road. "Molly, I see the... Oh no." Molly turned his head, "Oh no?" Instead of a response, all he got was the sound of the horses going from a walk to a full gallop. Trying to balance himself with the moving cart, he looked out to see the small town they were traveling to, now set ablaze. A groan was heard from the back as Thalia slowly rose, "Mina, what's going on?" Instead of saying anything, Molly grabbed her by the trench coat and showed her the roaring flames, "Look for yourself." "Oh shit."

The cart arrived within twenty minutes but the flames died down quite a bit. The trio jumped off the cart to a man who seemed like someone who held some semblance of power. He was a small halfling man, a bit overweight even for a halfling in a green shirt and brown trousers. "Is there anything we can do to help? Is everyone safe", Mina asked, having to look down at the man who only hit her knees. "Everyone's safe but there is nothing you can do with the fires, they will die down soon enough", he said calmly but his hands fidgeted. "If you don't mind me asking, what caused them", Molly asked, his arms crossed as he looked at the man. "Nightmares, those disgusting beasts of flame managed to set fire to the gates. Once those burned, they came into the town and burned that too", he said sadly. Thalia looked around before questioning, "What direction did they go?" "West." Thalia gave a nod before walking into the caravan, grabbing her tools. "Mina, Molly", she said, placing their equipment on the edge of the cart. "You want us to kill those things", Molly asked, walking towards the cart. "Yup and you don't get to complain so come on."

So they went off, into the woods. Every step made a crackling with the leaves left over from autumn. A small trail of flames hit leaves on a path and scorched burn marks, the group making sure to extinguish the flames as they walked. "Guys", Mina said, "Over there." Sure enough, two mares and a stallion, all with black fur and manes of fire. Glowing veins went into their demonic skin, making it look like they were cracks of magma in the earth.

As if she didn't have a second to lose, Thalia jumped into a fight, drawing her sword that cut down one of the demon's sides. Molly ran up, trying to hit the stallion but ended up narrowly missing. The monster kicked it's hooves against his chest, knocking him down. Before it could do anything else, Mina stabbed it in the shoulder, causing it to step back in pain. Pulling Molly up, the stallion and one of the mares began to circle them. "Ready", Molly asked. "As ready as I'll ever be'', she said with a smile. "Thalia, watch your step!" Sheathing her sword, she put her hands on the ground and the earth started to shake and tremble. The group managed to get themselves into safe ground but the horses weren't so lucky, falling and hurting themselves with the destroyed earth. One of the mares tried to kick but missed Mina's shoulder only by a bit. Taking her sword, she managed to lodge it into it's leg before pulling it out.

"Molly, step back", she yelled, running back as a ball of fire appeared in her hand. Her ally did as told, running several steps back as she threw the ball at the two. A bright flash of light succumbed the two satanic steeds but when the light died down, it was only the surrounding trees that were damaged. "What?!" Molly looked at her with a raised brow, swords drawn for attack, "They are literally on fire! Why did you think that would work?" "I don't know!"

Before another word could come out of their mouths, the two equines ran at them, fire trailing every step. Mollymauk lunged himself at the wild stallion, two swords going across its neck like a cross. Mina jumped in immediately behind, her rapier going through the center of the wound Molly made, like a target for her weapon to go. The demonic horse collapsed on it's side and, just as she pulled out the elegant blade, it set itself ablaze and slowly melted itself into the ground. The two didn't have time to watch however as the mare charged at them. The mare clacked it's heels against Mina, causing her to fall back with the sword falling out of her hands.

The mustang's golden red eyes stared down at her, smoke coming out of its nose. Raising her legs to crush the poor half-elf, Molly pushed it out of the way with all his bodyweight. The horse clattered on the ground, slowly starting to get up, Molly helped Mina off the ground. "Alright?" The girl rubbed her head, mumbling in agreement as she grabbed the hilt of the blade. The mare rose to its feet before charging again and the two managed to get out of it's way. Molly attacked it's right side while Mina attacked the left, blades cutting across the sides of the beast. It ran forward before kicking Mina with it's hind quarters, sending her back and pinning her against a tree before another round of kicks hit her stomach. Molly ran up, only to be kicked back as well. Mina looked at the demon before grabbing a dagger from her bag and implanting it into the mare's head.

Leaning as far back onto the tree as she could, the beast went up into a blaze of fire and smoke. When the flames were low enough to where Molly could be somewhat safe to cross, he walked over and saw Mina. Her face had blood running down it but a smile was wide on her face as she said, "Well, we did it." Molly couldn't help but smile as she tried to make light of the situation. "We sure did." Thalia ran up to the three of them, far more hurt than Molly but not quite as bad as her sister as she leaned on her sword. "Mina! Are you alright?" Her sister rolled her eyes before saying, "I will be with a nap, some healing spells, and a warm bath." "Can you walk though", Thalia asked. "Oh, definitely not", she said with a strained smile. "Hop up", Molly said, pulling her up before helping her onto his back. "Oh", she said in surprise, "This is nice. Thanks, Molly." "No problem, dear."

When they finally made it back to the town, the sun had risen and the halfling man smiled, "Are they vanquished?" Mina gave a tired thumbs up from Molly's back. "Well, we don't have much to offer with our little town but we can offer this." He held out a large leather bundle filled with coins. Mina stared wide eyed at the bag. "We can't possibly take th-" "Thank you", her sister interrupted, glaring daggers as she roughly took the bag of cash from his hand. "Where are our horses?" "Oh, um, I'll show you." Leading her away, the four of them kept silent, and they eventually reached a burned down inn that only had the stables standing. "We can't promise you a place to stay here but the next town is about a day's travel." "Thank you", Thalia said with a smile, throwing the bag of coins into her bag as she started to attach the horses to the cart. "We'll be out of your hair then. Have a nice day." The man gave a small nod before waddling off.

Molly placed Mina in the back as he pulled the health potion out of his bag, handing it to her. With a nod, she began to open it as she glared at her sister. "Seriously Thalia? That was obviously too much coin." Her sister glared before saying, "Mina, the world doesn't always let you do the good thing. We're running out of coin, we obviously need some medical supplies for you along with other supplies. We can't do the good thing right now." Mina huffed at her sister as she drank the swirling liquid. The cuts and scars on her body healed quite a bit and she could start feeling her leg again.

Taking Molly's hand and mumbling, Molly felt a similar relief as his cuts also healed. "You look better", Mina said as the cart started moving, tiredly staring at Molly. "You should've used that spell on yourself", he said, leaning next to her as they sat against the wall of the cart. "I'll be fine. Thalia, hand?" A hand reached into the back of the cart which Mina grabbed, healing her sister's wounds. "Thanks, Mina." "Love you too", she responded, falling asleep on Molly's shoulder as the cart went down the bumpy road.


	21. Chapter Nineteen | Hot Springs Cure All Wounds

** Written 12/07/2020 **

_ Chapter Nineteen | Hot Springs Cure All Wounds _

Sure enough, they arrived in a small town the following afternoon. The trio had healed nicely but they were absolutely exhausted. Pulling the cart into the back of the town's tavern, Thalia says, "Come on", grabbing both hers and Mina's supplies before walking away. Molly stood up, stretching his whole body before turning to Mina, reaching a hand to help her to her feet. She took it, her legs wobbling with a weird feeling. "Thanks", she said as he grabbed his bag. "It's no problem, ready to go?" A nod came to her face as she grabbed Molly's face and led the two of them inside.

Thalia was already there, waiting as a busy brunette danced around the common area with plates stacked as high as a mountain, "I'll be there in just a minute!" Going into another room, she quickly came without the plates and a wide smile. "Welcome to The Copper Cottage, I'm Annalise. A room I guess", she asked, her green eyes trying to seem excited but she was absolutely drained. "Two rooms, a single and a double for three days. How much?", Thalia said, taking out the pouch of coins. "Oh, um, three gold and seven silver." Thalia took out five gold coins and gave a bright smile, "Keep the change." "Oh thank you", she says, taking the coins, "You folks look like you've had a rough journey. There's a public hot spring in town if you need to relax." Molly's eyes widened in excitement, "We'll make sure to do that as soon as possible." "Very good, well, I'll let you into your rooms", she says, grabbing the keys and handing them to Thalia. "Thank you", Mina said with excitement as they walked up the stairs.

Stretching, Molly immediately grabbed a towel and spare set of clothes which only included his undergarments and a skirt, he ran to the room next door with a wide smile. "Come on, we're going to the hot spring." "Already ahead of you", Mina said as she grabbed a towel and a plain lavender dress. Molly turned his head to Thalia who was looking over maps and a journal, "Have fun." Molly rolled his eyes, snatching the map from the marksman, "Nope, you need a break. Come on." She glared daggers into his eyes, "Why? You two have fun. I got to do inventory." Mina gave a small sigh before sticking her head on top of her sister's. "Please", she whined, dragging it out for a good ten seconds. "No, go have fun."

Taking a giant breath, she starts the most over dramatic pleading Molly had ever seen. "Please Thalia! I really want you to come and you've been overworking yourself. You've been brushing us off lately and sometimes it feels like you just don't even care about me anymore. Do you even love me anymore?! It doesn't feel like it and it hurts my heart! If you loved me you would do more stuff with your favorite and only sister." At this point, Molly was snickering as crocodile tears slid from Mina's innocent puppy eyes and pleading as the girl slowly slid herself onto her knees. "Oh I see, you don't love me anymore! Well, I won't be your burden to carry anymore. Molly and I will leave by nightfall. Goodbye, sister." Mina wipes the tears away, as Molly was trying to choke down his laughter. She slowly stood and Thalia also stood up, "Fine. Give me ten minutes." Mina pulled Molly out the door, a wide smile on her face. "Impressive acting skills", Molly smiles, pointing a finger toward the door they just came out of. "Please, I've lived with her my entire life. I know how to annoy her." "Still, I'm pretty sure I could never get her to do anything I want. That's one hell of a talent." Mina tucked a bit of her hair behind her pointed ear, a wide smile on her face, "Thank you, Molly."

Thalia came out, a bag slung over her shoulders, "Ready?" Nodding, the trio walked downstairs to see Annalise running around the bustling tavern but when she saw them, she waved, walking over. "Where are you three going?" "Hot spring, would you happen to tell us the direction, dear", Molly said with a handsome smile which caused her cheeks to turn a soft shade of pink. "Oh, you keep going down the road and you will then see a variety of food stalls, on the left side." "Alright, thank you", Mina said as she began bouncing out the door.

The trio found it soon enough, finding a large building. Walking inside, there were three doors, each labeled with a different sign for their preferred gender. Mina and Thalia walked up to the lady's door as Molly walked towards the middle. "See you in a bit", he said with a smile. 

Quickly changing into the pair of shorts he brought, he stepped out to the empty hot spring room, rocks feeling smooth on his feet. The pools of crystal clear blue water felt just right when he stepped in, the hot water seemed to remove pressure from his shoulders. Looking up, he saw the ceiling was made of glass and you could see every star and constellation in the sky.

When he heard the door open, he saw the twins in simple black bikinis walking over and sitting next to him in the water. "This feels fantastic", Mina said with a smile, eyes closed as she rested her hair back in the water, her hair outstretching like long, orange threads. Molly only hummed, letting his arms become a pillow for his head as he rested his eyes. "Come on, you can't say you didn't need this, Thalia", Mina said, looking at her sister who just smiled. "Fine, you two win. This is absolutely perfect." Molly and Mina look at each other, knowing smiles on their faces.

"Hey, Molly", Thalia said. "Yes", he said, turning himself around to face the girls. "You walked into the nonbinary bathroom but you use..." Molly gave a large smirk, twirling his hand as he said, "Yeah, I'm nonbinary but I don't care about pronouns. You're fine." Giving a nod, she went back to her relaxation. "That's cool", Mina said, nudging Molly with her foot.

Nodding, Molly leaned his head back, looking at Mina as he moved his tail to move against her in the water. Jumping back, she saw his tail, causing her to glare playfully and give him a small splash. Molly's eyes widened, a hand put to his chest in fake shock. "How dare you", he said before splashing her back. Soon enough, a childish war started between the two of them, Thalia trying to ignore their game. However, in her effort to disregard them, she got splashed in the face, causing the other two to break out into laughter. She didn't say a word as she got up but the look in her eyes wrote a novel with it's summary saying, 'I will do whatever it takes to murder you.'

Moving to a different pool, Molly and Mina continue to splash and mess with each other till a teenage, human boy comes in timidly, "Sorry to bother but we're closing in fifteen minutes, may you please change?" Molly and Mina groaned in frustration but the trio left the water and did as they were asked. Molly walked out to see the two girls by the door. "You take an awfully long time", Thalia said with a smirk but Molly rolled his eyes. "Takes time to look this fabulous", he says as he walks out the door, the twins quickly following behind as they headed back to The Copper Cottage.


	22. Chapter Twenty | Sugar Spells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, upload schedule is changing and now it's just whenever (-_-). School is killing me, I'm exhausted and there is so much I have to write before this series will be done. Love y'all

** Written 12/08/2020 **

_ Chapter Twenty | Sugar Spells _

It was early morning on their final day when Molly woke up with the worst sweet tooth he had ever had. He stood up, opening the curtains to see the sun slowly start to rise over the mountains. Quickly changing, he hopped into the hallway walking to the girl's door. Molly pulled a key out of his pocket before unlocking the door. Seeing Mina sleeping in the bed on the right. Molly smirked, walking up with a silent stride, he sat down next to her on the balls of his feet, mumbling, "Mina. Mina, wake up." Softly shaking her shoulder, it took a few minutes for her to rub her eyes and say, "Molly? What are you doing in my room this early?" He pulled out the key, holding it up by his finger and thumb with pride. "Stole it from Thalia yesterday but that doesn't matter. I want candy." She raised a brow before saying, "Okay."

"Oh, I thought that was going to take more persuading." Mina shrugged as she ripped the blankets off of her but it took Molly's balance, causing him to fall over and hit the ground. The loud noise caused Thalia to shoot out of her bed, hearing, "OW! What the hell, Mina?!" "Oops, my bad." Thalia glared at the purple tiefling before saying, "How did you get in here?" "Good morning to you too", he said sarcastically, staring at her from his spot on the floor. She crossed her arms before he said, "Stole the key, that doesn't matter. Get ready Mina!" He got up from off the floor before walking into his room, brushing his hair and teeth. Twenty minutes later, Mina came in in her usual yellow dress, the one with the embroidered wisteria flowers. "Ready", she asked. "Let's go."

The two walked through town, finding a small, white building with a light orange roof, a bronze sign saying 'Sugar Spells' stood above the door. "Looks good", Mina said with a smile and the two walked inside. A stained black wood flooring looked absolutely stunning with the monochromatic room. Glass enclosures held the sweets, mostly chocolates but other kinds of colorful candies and pastries were also there. The bell rang when they opened the door, causing a young girl at the counter to look up from her drawing. Molly looked at her with wide eyes, "Jester?"

The girl certainly looked like a younger version of his friend at first glance, with long blue hair and matching skin. But her horns went up instead of curling around her face and her eyes were black and hollow instead of pink and lively. She didn't have the freckles either and her outfit wasn't a frilly dress but instead, what was almost a suit. "Um, no. Never seen you before in my life, mate." "Lilligan!" "Shit", she mumbled under her breath as someone came out of the back. An older grey tiefling, probably in her sixties, with the same black eyes as the girl. Her hair was a natural white, tied back in a braid with beads and charms. 

"Yes, Nana?" The elderly used the cane to slightly hit the girl's head, "What have I told you about being sarcastic to our guests?" "Don't." The elderly woman smiled, before turning to the two, "Sorry for my granddaughter, she has a smart mouth." "No, it's my fault", Molly said with a smile, arms leaning onto the counter, "She sort of looks like someone I've been looking for and it wouldn't surprise me if she worked at a candy store." The woman gave a warm smile, "Oh, that's sweet. I hope you do find them. Anyway, what can we get you today?"

The duo ordered as much as they can, a smile on the woman's face made it completely worth it. As they walked out, they sat on a bench in front of the shop. "You know, before I met my friends, I didn't have a clue what a candy store was", he said, taking a bite out of a chocolate truffle. "Really, must have been like a kid in a _candy store._ " Molly gave a playful glare at the pun as she took a bite out of some peppermint chocolate. "That was the worst pun I think I've ever heard." "Good, that was the goal", she said with a wide smile.

Rolling his eyes, he went to grab another piece of chocolate but Mina pulled it to her chest. "Mina, hand it over", he said. "No!" Molly lunged for the bag, taking all the candy. "Hey! Give it back!" "How about... No'', he said, standing up. She gave him a glare, her cheeks puffing out a bit as he ate a piece. "How about this, I'll give you the bag of candy but we start heading back? Then we can eat them while working on the cards?" "Oh heck yes", she says, taking the bag and leading their way back. Molly ended up losing her in the crowds and shops, shrugging because he knew they would meet up at the tavern. "Lucien?"

Molly stopped in his tracks, a chill went down his spine and his blood turned cold. He didn't want to turn around but he felt something hit his leg. He looked down to see a three year old human boy with blond hair and blue eyes. "Lucien, oh thank the gods", someone said to his side. Turning around, he saw a girl who looked identical to the boy, "Mom and Dad would've killed me if you got lost", she said, picking up the small boy. "Thank you for finding him", she said. "It's no problem, he found me really", Molly stuttered, still caught off-guard. "Well, say goodbye Lucien." "Byebye", he said softly, hiding in his sister's arms. "See you, kiddo", he said, a small smile returning to his lips.

"Molly!" He heard a familiar voice as the two walked away. "You alright? You look pale", Mina said with a smile. "I'm fine", Molly said before seeing what was in her hands. "Where did you buy a lute from?" She laughed, rubbing her neck, "A music shop over there. I kind of lost you so I went in." "Well, glad you enjoyed yourself", Molly said, grabbing her hand leading her back to the hotel. "Are you sure you're alright", she asked, not convinced with his sudden change of nature. "I'm sure, I just want to go and eat our bounty of sugar", he said with a wide and fake smile. "Alright", she said, skipping in her steps to keep up with him as the two go off for a pleasant afternoon together.


End file.
